In a recent development, Google Maps has introduced the labeling of “Lake America,” a change that has prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Apple to mirror this adjustment on the default navigation app installed on all iPhones.
Experts in the technology industry have pointed out the limited options for Canadian consumers and businesses who find themselves heavily reliant on U.S.-owned platforms. Anne Pasek, Canada Research Chair in Media, Culture, and the Environment at Trent University, emphasized that Canadians are predominantly under the influence of American tech giants, which also means being subject to American laws.
Several Canadian websites, including those of the federal government and major banks, have been observed displaying maps with Lake Ontario dubbed as Lake America. This alteration comes in response to an executive order from President Trump, aiming to rename the Great Lake as part of the ongoing trade disputes between the two nations.
Google has implemented the change for U.S. users and has provided an option for non-American websites to revert to the original label “Lake Ontario” by adjusting their map settings to Canada.
The situation has raised concerns about the overwhelming presence of U.S. tech companies in Canada, with their mapping services deeply integrated into numerous Canadian businesses’ websites and operations. These services offer vital information such as business hours, contact details, and reviews, while also supporting functionalities like address auto-completion for e-commerce and traffic monitoring for ride-sharing and food delivery apps.
Emily Osborne, a policy research associate at the Canadian Shield Institute, highlighted the reliance on American tech companies for various digital services and products in Canada, including navigation. She suggested exploring Dutch companies like TomTom and HERE Technologies as potential alternatives to Google and Apple.
Osborne further expressed concerns that escalating tensions between Canada and the U.S. could lead the Trump administration to identify other tech-related vulnerabilities to exert pressure, mentioning areas like payment processing and cloud storage. The recent AWS outage was cited as an example of how Canadian businesses can suffer when dependent on U.S.-owned digital infrastructure.
The potential vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure underscore the need for Canadian businesses to diversify and consider alternatives beyond the dominant American tech platforms to ensure resilience in the face of geopolitical uncertainties.