Google Maps Now Brands US a 'Sensitive Country'

Google on Monday said it would change its maps to feature the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley—but those weren't the only labels to apparently change. CNBC reports it has learned that the US was also switched from a "non-sensitive" country to a sensitive one within Google's maps division. It says that classification is used for nations with "strict governments and border disputes" and to denote "unique geometry or unique labeling." China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and others currently appear on Google maps' sensitive countries list. Mexico was also added; users in Mexico will continue to see the Gulf of Mexico.

CNBC notes that in making the change to the gulf's name, internal correspondence from Google showed it intended to treat that body of water as it does the Persian Gulf, which appears as the Arabian Gulf for Arab countries. CNBC's take: "The decision to elevate the US to its list of sensitive countries illustrates the challenges that tech companies face as they try to navigate the early days of a second Trump presidency." (More Google Maps stories.)