GoKawiil
Tech News
At a South Carolina rally, President Trump said he had personally called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to ask whether Google Maps could rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or 'America.' Trump claimed Pichai declined, reportedly saying oceans touch too many countries to rename, though Trump said he's still considering renaming the Pacific the 'American Ocean.'
Canada's federal standing committee on Canadian heritage is scheduled to vote next week on Bill S-211, legislation aimed at limiting the volume of gambling advertising during sports broadcasts, social media and online video games. The move comes alongside new data showing rising rates of problem gambling and gambling-related suicides in Ontario, and a CBC-Bristol University analysis finding two to three gambling ads per minute during NHL playoff broadcasts.
At a rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, President Trump claimed he called Google and that the company 'kisses his ass' now, unlike during his first term. He cited this as evidence of his increased influence, referencing the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario on Google Maps.
Waymo has been cleared to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, marking its first expansion into Canada. The company will start by manually driving vehicles to map Toronto's streets, then test autonomous vehicles with safety drivers before eventually removing them and opening rides to the public. Waymo has partnered with Element Fleet Management to handle fleet operations in the city.
Following President Trump’s directive to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, Google and Apple updated their maps accordingly. The controversy has led to increased downloads of alternative map services like MapQuest, which is gaining traction among users dissatisfied with Big Tech’s map modifications. This shift highlights growing interest in non-mainstream mapping options amid privacy concerns and map label disputes.
MapQuest has launched beta support for Android Auto, extending its mapping app to in-car displays on the platform. The move follows a surge in MapQuest's popularity after it kept the name 'Lake Ontario' unchanged while Apple and Google altered references under pressure from President Trump, with MapQuest saying usage rose 50-fold and downloads topped 1.5 million.
Regulators and courts have flagged a rising number of legal filings containing AI-generated fabrications, including invented citations and case law. The Ontario Law Society fined a lawyer $31,150 for using Grok to draft a factum full of fake legal principles, while Sullivan & Cromwell had to alert a New York bankruptcy court after a filing contained 42 fabricated AI citations. Canadian courts logged a sharp rise in such cases, from seven in 2024 to 86 in 2025 and 39 more in early 2026.
MapQuest has launched public transit directions in its iOS and Android apps, with web support coming soon. The feature covers nearly 2,000 cities in 70 countries, offering door-to-door trip planning across buses, trains and trams, real-time departure data for over 350 cities, and station access details.
A University of Toronto study found emergency department visits for gambling disorders doubled after Canada legalized single-event sports betting in 2021 and Ontario opened its online gambling market to private operators in 2022. Researchers examined 952 ER visits over 14 years and found the increase was concentrated among young men, with visits among males aged 10-29 up 154 per cent and those aged 30-44 up 116 per cent above expected levels, while rates among females stayed flat.
Following President Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario, a Canadian seller has created a hat reading 'Canada Is Not for Sale' as a direct response. The design borrows the style of Trump's own campaign caps to turn his signature branding against him, while a rival version supporting the 'Lake America' idea has also appeared for buyers on the other side of the debate.
Vancouver's Penthouse Night Club posted a photo of its marquee mocking Donald Trump's comments about renaming Lake Ontario and referencing the algae-filled reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial. Hours after the post went up, the club's Instagram account, @Penthouse47, was taken down, with owner Danny Filippone saying staff noticed the account had vanished around midnight. The account remained offline as of publication, with no clear explanation given for the removal.
President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario, presenting the change with props displaying the new name in his administration's designated official font. The typeface, intended to project formality and authority, drew attention for appearing at odds with the gravity the administration sought to convey.