{
  "id": 4688664,
  "title": "MapQuest isn’t renaming Lake Ontario, despite Trump’s executive order. And it’s surging in the App Store",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/mapquest-isnt-renaming-lake-ontario-despite-trumps-executive-order",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-31T17:58:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91599041/mapquest-not-renaming-lake-ontario-despite-trumps-executive-order"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MapQuest has gained immense popularity in the App Store, claiming the top spot as the leading navigation app. This surge in downloads has nothing to do with a recent executive order demanding that MapQuest rename Lake Ontario, despite the company's initial response to the order. MapQuest's general manager, Doug Berger, confirmed that the company had no intention of changing the name of Lake Ontario, stating, \"We saw the president signing the name change executive order, and we had a very quick conversation and immediately came out with a simple statement: We're not changing it.\"\n\nThe dramatic change in Lake Ontario's name was observed when comparing Google Maps and MapQuest on the web. Google Maps, following the U.S. Geographic Names Information System's direction, now autocorrects \"Lake Ontario\" to \"Lake America\" for users in the United States. However, Canadians still see the original name, as Canadian authorities did not make the change. Google explained their policy, stating they follow official government sources, specifically the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, which officially changed the name to Lake America at Trump's request.\n\nMapQuest, however, decided to embrace the absurdity and launched a second site where users could suggest alternative names for the lake. One popular suggestion on X, formerly Twitter, was \"Lake of Hormuz.\" This lighthearted approach might be attributed to MapQuest's long-standing popularity and nostalgia among users. Last year, the company changed its name to reflect the Trump administration's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, launching a joke about not having the resources to update their maps.\n\nMapQuest's experience with Lake Ontario highlights the influence of federal government name changes on private mapping companies. Derek Alderman, a geography professor at the University of Tennessee, explained that adopting government name changes can influence public acceptance and the longevity of the change. Alderman stressed that the more widespread the use of a particular name, the more institutionalized it becomes within everyday language, making it harder to revert the name change.",
  "summary": "Over the last few days, hundreds of thousands of people have downloaded the MapQuest app from the App Store, making it the number one navigation app. There’s one reason why: the OG online mapping company said that it has no plans to rename Lake Ontario after Trump’s executive order calling it Lake America . “We saw the president signing the name change executive order, and we had a very quick…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Google updates maps to display Lake Ontario as Lake America in U.S.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-updates-maps-to-display-lake-ontario-as-lake-america-in-u-s",
        "published": "2026-08-30T14:40:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC Canada",
        "title": "Google updates maps to display Lake Ontario as Lake America in U.S.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-updates-maps-to-display-lake-ontario-as-lake-america-in-u-s-4463724",
        "published": "2026-08-30T17:01:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}