Apple changes name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in maps app

The change marks the second US-based tech giant to comply with President Donald Trump’s controversial order.The tech company Apple has updated the label for Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users of its map application in the United States, after direct lobbying by President Donald Trump.Tuesday’s change took place on the same day that executive John Ternus became Apple’s new CEO.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Can Trump really rename Lake Ontario, ‘Lake America’?list 2 of 3Ontario’s Doug Ford prods Trump with sign rejecting ‘Lake America’ namelist 3 of 3Google Maps renames Lake Ontario after Trump’s decree on ‘Lake America’end of listApple is now the second US-based tech giant to comply with Trump’s controversial executive order. On Saturday, Google also announced it had changed the name for US users on its highly popular Google Maps.Trump’s order cannot compel private companies to change their naming conventions. It does, however, make a change to the US Geographic Names Information System, a reference guide that standardises how the federal government refers to geographical features.Companies like Google reference the information system for their own maps.Still, statements from Trump administration officials suggest the president has taken direct action to ensure private companies – which rely on the federal government for approvals and contracts – comply with the name change.US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in an interview with Fox News on Monday that Trump “reached out to Apple directly” last week to request the lake’s name change on the Apple Maps app.Apple has previously adhered to name changes ordered by Trump, including renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and switching the name of the Alaskan mountain Denali to “Mount McKinley”.It is unclear whether Apple Maps is taking a similar stance to rival Google on the label change. Apple did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.