posted in Technology
Google Maps renames “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” even faster than US government
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/google-maps-renames-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-even-faster-than-us-government/Google rolled out the Lake America change on Saturday, while the official US government maps are still waiting.
Replying to @technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
I’d guess the calculus was something like:
Our users don’t want this thing
Fuck em, we’re a monopoly
the famously petty would-be dictator wants this thing
Do what he says, he could really hit our bottom line if he wants to
“Fuck em, we’re a Monopoly.”
And while we’re at it.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.
Replying to @abbiistabbii@piefed.blahaj.zone
I’d personally suggest Tuta over Proton simply because of the sketchiness of the Proton ownership and their conservative, business-first, citizens-second views.
Instead of recommending OpenStreetMap.org, I would suggest Cartes.app as the Google maps replacement (uses OSM data). It contains most features that Google Maps users are used to and will feel familiar to them. OpenStreetMap is more of the backend for mapping apps rather than a direct replacement for Google Maps.
Cartes for most features (satellite view, reviews, shareable links that work for anyone, etc.) and CoMaps for offline/driving directions.
Replying to @abbiistabbii@piefed.blahaj.zone
Honestly, what about traffic aware navigation? In cities, that can make your commute take 1hour instead of 2 by knowing where the traffic jams are. And they are not super predictable on my commute.
Replying to @tom@lemmy.tomkoreny.com
I really hate how people keep trivializing this point. I use Magic Earth (OSM data + proprietary traffic data) and I woukd have been cooked many a times without it providing traffic. Literal 40-60 minute differences in routes.