Interior Secretary says President Trump "reached out to Apple directly" about changing Lake Ontario to Lake America and the company may soon alter its maps (Reuters)

Canada's websites displaying the name "Lake America" on their maps powered by Google have reverted the name to "Lake Ontario," a change that can be made by web developers, according to the company. This issue first emerged on Sunday when social media users noticed that maps on various Canadian sites, such as Hydro One, Metrolinx, Elections Canada, Loblaw, and Infrastructure Ontario, displayed "Lake America" instead of the correct name, "Lake Ontario."

The problem arose after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order related to the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S. Critics, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, argued that Trump claimed most of the "volume" of Lake Ontario and was responsible for its security, economic activity, and environmental stewardship. In response, Google updated its maps to reflect the name change from the U.S. Geographic Names Information Service.

However, some Canadian websites pull map data directly from Google Maps, and after the recent changes, these sites are actively reviewing their websites to ensure they identify Lake Ontario correctly. Google stated that website developers can change the region settings for their maps, which determines how place names are displayed. When developers set their region to Canada, "Lake Ontario" will be shown.

Many Canadian websites that initially displayed "Lake America" have been corrected, but the issue highlights how Canadian websites can end up with an American label due to the use of Google's API (Application Programming Interface). This API allows developers to create services more easily, quickly, and cost-effectively, but it also means that websites can be subject to the whims of the American company providing the technology.