Google reclassifies us as ‘sensitive country’ Alongside China, Russia after Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ comments

Google‘S Maps Division on Monday Reclassified the Us as a “Sensitive Country,” A Designation It Reserves for States with Strict Governments and Border Disputes, CNBC HAS Learned.

The new classification for the US came after President Donald Trump Said his administration would Make name changes On official maps and federal communications. Thos changes include renaming the gulf of mexico as the “gulf of America” ​​and renaming mount deenali as mount mcKinley.

Google’s Order to Stop Designating the Us as a “Non-Sensitive” Country Came on Monday, According to Internal Correspondence Viewed by CNBC. That’s when the company announced It would change the name of the body of water between the yucatan and florida peninsulas to the “gulf of america” ​​in google maps after the trump administration updates and “official government souraces.”

The decision to elevate the us to its list of sensitive counties illustrates the challenges that tech companies face as they try to navigate the early days of a second trump presiding. Since the start of the year, MetaTiktok, Amazon And others have adjusted their products and policies to reflect trump’s political views, policies and executive orders.

Trump Had a Rocky Relationship with Silicon Valley Throughout His FIRST President and Didn’T shy Away from Criticizing The Sector Throughout His 2024 Campaign. More recently, tech executives, including Google Ceo Sundar Pichai, Have Pursued closer ties With Trump, with Several Standing Behind the President during his inauguration.

Google’s List of Sensitive Countries Includes China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Among others. The label is also used for countries that have “Unique geometry or unique labeling,” According to internal correspondence reviewed by cnbc.

The US and Mexico are new additions.

The “sensitive” classification is a technical configuration that Signifies some labels within a given countery are different from other counts, a company sporeson TOLD CNBC.

IT’s Unclear If Google’s reclassification of the US extends beyond its “Geo” Division.

With more than 2 Billion monthly usersGoogle Maps is the World’s top navigation app.

Some Team Members within the Maps Division was Ordered to Urgently Make Changes to the Location Name and RecateGorize The US from “Non-SenSitive” to “Sensitive,” According to the internal corresponding. The changes were given a rare “p0” order, meaning it had the highest priority level and employers were immediatively notified and instructed to drop what they doing to work on it.

Google’s Order States that the Gulf of America Title Change Should Be treated Similar to the Persian Gulf, which in Arab Countries is displayed on Google Maps as the Arabian Gulf.

“We’ve received a less questions about naming with naming with X post“We have a longstanding practice of applying names when they have been updated in official government sources.”

Google added that the name gulf of mexico will remove displayed for users in Mexico. Users in other countries will see both names, the company said.

When the obama administration changed the name of the alaska mountain from mountain mockinley to deenali in August 2015, Google updated maps To reflex the name change, a google spekesperson told CNBC.