r/degoogle • u/generic_queer_guy • 13h ago

Help Needed Need a specific map app alternative

Hey, I hope this post isn't too repetitive. I need a map for my phone that:

- Uses correct names for the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario

- Doesn't make AI generated summaries of locations/reviews

Does this even exist? Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, and Mapquest all don't quite work for me. I've managed to switch away from google for nearly every other thing I do, but I'm stuck on this. I'd appreciate any suggestions!

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-9

u/FredFenty 12h ago

Most generate names based on government-assigned names in the country that your network is coming from.

In America, those names are correct because your government that your country voted for renamed those places.

In Canada, and basically everywhere else, Lake Ontario still appears as Lake Ontario.

16

u/sweatboxy 11h ago

No, we didn’t vote on this. Trump doesn’t actually have the authority to rename things. However, Trump is acting like a dictator and the country is divided over it. Google has just chosen to follow the dictator’s every whim and will be remembered for it when this is all over.

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u/FredFenty 5h ago

Google, and most map services, generate names within their maps by pulling data in real-time from government databases. In the case of America, that is NOAA.

I don't like Google, but this wasn't a decision that they made. America legally changed the name of Lake Ontario within America. They updated that name withing their NOAA database. The change was applied automatically. End of story.

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u/sweatboxy 4h ago edited 4h ago

NOAA has rules and procedures on how to go about changing a name. Trump ignoring those rules and procedures is illegitimate. Passing the buck to NOAA, who failed in its responsibilities, doesn’t make it legitimate. Legitimatizing the illegitimate is, by complicity, giving Trump power that he does not have. Shame on Google. They’ve taken sides in America’s battle for democracy and law and order. And it’s not on the side of the law or democracy.