Google Maps Disables Reviews for the Gulf of America Following Backlash

Google Maps made headlines this week after implementing a controversial name change for the Gulf of Mexico, now labeled the “Gulf of America.” The change came after President Donald Trump officially renamed the body of water during the first week of his presidency. Other platforms like Apple Maps and Bing soon followed suit, updating the name for users in the U.S.

However, the move sparked significant backlash, with users flooding Google Maps with critical reviews about the name change. In response, Google took action by disabling reviews for the Gulf of America entirely. If you visit the location now, you’ll see the message: “Posting is currently turned off.” Reports suggest that Google has also deleted many negative reviews related to the name change.

The situation was brought to light by Forbes, prompting Google to issue a statement. According to the company, “We regularly put protections on places during times when we anticipate an uptick of contributions that are off-topic or unrelated to someone’s direct experience with the place.” Google also referenced a 2023 blog post where it outlined its policies for removing “unhelpful content” from the platform.

This isn’t the first time Google has had to intervene in such a way. In December 2024, the company disabled reviews for a McDonald’s branch in Pennsylvania after it became the site of Luigi Mangione’s arrest, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The branch received a wave of negative reviews from protestors, leading Google to step in and remove what it classified as “unhelpful content.”

The Gulf of America situation, however, is unique. It’s unusual to think of an entire body of water as something you can review, but Google Maps has always had its quirks. For example, the Atlantic Ocean currently holds an average rating of 4.8 stars from five reviews. Most of these reviews are either wordless or vaguely comment on the ocean’s cleanliness—an impossible task for any individual to assess. One particularly amusing review reads, “One of the best oceans in the world. Connects the Americas to Europe.” Thanks for the deep insight, Google reviewer.

The Gulf of America’s name change and the subsequent backlash highlight the strange and often unpredictable intersection of digital platforms and public opinion. For now, reviews for the Gulf are closed, but it remains to be seen how this situation will evolve.