In a recent development, Google Maps has implemented the labeling of “Lake America,” prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Apple to do the same by default on all iPhones. Analysts in the tech industry point out that this situation underscores the significant reliance of many Canadians on U.S.-based platforms, with limited alternative options available.
Anne Pasek, a Canada Research Chair at Trent University, emphasizes that Canadians often overlook the dominance of American tech giants in their daily lives until controversies like this arise. She notes that much of Canadians’ digital activities are subject to American jurisdiction due to the dominance of U.S. companies in the tech sector.
Several Canadian websites, including government portals and major banks, have recently showcased maps featuring Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America. This alteration follows an executive order from President Trump, part of ongoing trade tensions between the two nations.
Google’s adjustment only affects U.S. users, with the option for non-American websites to display “Lake Ontario” by customizing their maps to reflect the Canadian region. The company clarified this change in accordance with its policy for bodies of water with differing names across countries.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed that Trump has reached out to Apple regarding the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its platforms. Apple has not yet responded to inquiries from CBC News on the matter.
Beyond offering navigation services to numerous users, mapping tools from American tech giants play a crucial role in the operations of many Canadian businesses. These tools provide essential details such as business hours, contact information, and reviews, while also supporting functions like address auto-completion on e-commerce sites and traffic monitoring on ride-sharing and food delivery applications.
Emily Osborne, a policy research associate at the Canadian Shield Institute, suggests considering Dutch companies like TomTom and HERE Technologies as potential alternatives to Google and Apple for navigation services. She highlights the acquisition of Toronto-based Avenza Systems by Blue Marble Geographics as an example of the diminishing presence of Canadian tech alternatives.
Osborne expresses concerns that escalating tensions between Canada and the U.S. could lead the Trump administration to target other tech-related areas to exert pressure on Canada, such as payment processing and cloud storage. She cites the impact of incidents like the AWS outage on Canadian businesses as a warning of the vulnerabilities associated with reliance on U.S.-owned digital infrastructure.
The reliance of Canadian businesses on U.S.-based services like Visa and MasterCard for credit card payments further underscores the lack of Canadian alternatives in critical sectors, raising concerns about potential disruptions in the event of government intervention.