In a recent development, Google Maps has rolled out “Lake America” labels, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Apple to adopt a similar approach by preinstalling the updated navigation app on every iPhone. This situation underscores the prevalent issue faced by many Canadian consumers and businesses who find themselves heavily reliant on U.S.-based platforms, with limited non-American alternatives available.
Anne Pasek, Canada Research Chair in Media, Culture, and the Environment at Trent University, emphasized that Canadians are significantly impacted by the dominance of American tech monopolies, a reality often overlooked until controversies arise. She noted that Canadian digital activities and related aspects are largely subject to American companies and laws.
Several Canadian websites, including those of federal government agencies and major banks, have showcased maps featuring the rechristening of Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” This alteration was instigated by an executive order from President Trump amidst escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
Google implemented the name change specifically for U.S. users but provided an option for non-American websites to display “Lake Ontario” by customizing their maps and setting the region to Canada. The company explained that these updates align with their established policy for bodies of water with differing names across countries.
Following Trump’s directive, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed that the President had approached Apple to request the adjustment of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” on its platforms. Apple has yet to respond to inquiries from CBC News regarding this matter.
Apart from offering navigation services to a vast user base, mapping tools from prominent U.S. tech firms are deeply integrated into the operations of numerous Canadian businesses. They play a crucial role in providing essential details like business hours, contact information, and reviews. Additionally, these tools support e-commerce functions by facilitating address auto-completion and enable transportation and food delivery apps to monitor traffic conditions.
Emily Osborne, a policy research associate at the Canadian Shield Institute, emphasized the dependency of Canada on American tech giants like Google and Apple for various digital services, including navigation. She highlighted Dutch companies TomTom and HERE Technologies as potential substitutes for these services.
Osborne expressed concerns over potential tech-related “choke points” that the Trump administration could exploit to exert pressure on Canada amidst escalating tensions. She cited payment processing and cloud storage as potential areas of vulnerability, raising apprehensions about the impact on Canadian businesses in such scenarios.