Dear John,

Google has responded to our petition through Cris Turner, Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, confirming that they are enforcing the U.S. government’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users.

They claim neutrality. They claim to be an independent platform. But their response makes one thing clear: Google is selectively enforcing a U.S. propaganda effort while pretending to be impartial.

On March 11, we are taking this fight directly to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Sign the petition now, and we will deliver it to Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, demanding that they keep the name “Gulf of Mexico.” 

According to Google, users in Mexico will still see “Gulf of Mexico.” However, users in the U.S. will now be forced to see only “Gulf of America,” with no option to view the historically recognized name. Meanwhile, the rest of the world will see both names, as if “Gulf of America” were a legitimate alternative rather than a politically motivated rebranding. In their response to us, Google conveniently ignored a fundamental fact: the U.S. government only renamed its territorial waters, 12 nautical miles off its coast. That does not justify renaming the entire 620,000-square-mile Gulf for U.S. users.

They also say that international treaties do not regulate private mapping providers. But this isn’t about treaties; this is about historical truth. 

For over five centuries, the Gulf of Mexico has been recognized by its rightful name, long before the existence of the United States as a political entity. No major international organization, including the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), recognizes “Gulf of America” as a legitimate name. Google’s decision to follow an arbitrary U.S. renaming effort is historically baseless and ignores centuries of established geographic conventions.

Google’s justification means that any government can rewrite history – and Google will follow along. What happens when another government decides to rename entire regions? Will Google comply then, too?

Meanwhile, the White House is taking this even further, punishing journalists who refuse to comply. When asked why the Associated Press was barred from White House events for continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico,” the Press Secretary bluntly dismissed the issue, saying, “It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America.” This is the U.S. government deciding what is “fact” and demanding that the press, Google, and the public fall in line.

Tell Google’s CEO: Maintain the historical name, Gulf of Mexico! Sign the petition now! We only have a few days until we deliver it on March 11!

This renaming directly ties into resource control and territorial influence. The Gulf of Mexico holds vast reserves of oil, gas, and biodiversity, making it one of the most resource-rich bodies of water in the world. U.S. corporations already dominate much of the extraction in the region, and rebranding it as “Gulf of America” falls in line with a historical pattern of expanding U.S. territorial claims while disregarding Latin American sovereignty. By enforcing this change, Google is reinforcing U.S. dominance over the Gulf’s resources, masking a geopolitical power grab behind what appears to be a routine map update.

The Mexican government has already warned that it will take legal action if Google continues to extend the name change beyond U.S. territorial waters. By enforcing this renaming beyond the 12-nautical-mile limit of U.S. jurisdiction, Google is actively participating in an overreach that goes against international law and diplomatic agreements.

We need as many signatures as possible by March 11. Sign and share to demand that Google maintains the name “Gulf of Mexico”!

This isn’t Google’s first time capitulating to the right wing. This is the same company that quietly removed Black History Month, Pride Month, and Women’s History Month from Google Calendar as default events, making them less visible in daily life. It’s the same company that ensures Israeli settlements are labeled while Palestine remains unmarked as a country on its maps. It is also the same company that manipulates search algorithms to elevate corporate and government narratives while suppressing dissenting voices. Google is actively shaping what people see, what they learn, and ultimately, what they believe to be true.

We demand that Google immediately restore “Gulf of Mexico” in international waters and stop enforcing U.S. colonial narratives. If they insist on keeping “Gulf of America” within U.S. territorial waters, that is a domestic policy decision, but beyond those 12 nautical miles, the historical truth must remain. We will not allow Silicon Valley to erase Latin America’s identity. The Gulf of Mexico existed long before the White House, and it’s not Trump’s to rebrand.

Other Ways to Engage

For too long, the U.S. has failed to be a good neighbor fueling displacement through military interventions, economic warfare, and sanctions that harm everyday people in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Instead of offering refuge, the U.S. criminalizes and deports those fleeing these conditions. We refuse to let our neighbors be terrorized! Check out our ICE Resistance Toolkit for resources to resist raids, protect immigrant neighbors, and take action against deportation policies

A true Good Neighbor Policy means respecting sovereignty, ending military intervention, and choosing cooperation over domination. The U.S. has a long history of controlling and exploiting Latin America, it’s time to change course. Join us in demanding a real Good Neighbor Policy rooted in justice and peace

In radical solidarity,
Medea, Michelle, Teri, and the CODEPINK Team