A company most people assumed was long gone just became an unlikely symbol of resistance. Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, explains why MapQuest's refusal to rename Lake Ontario turned into a genuine online moment, one that MapQuest itself has leaned into.

There may be more behind Google's decision to comply than political pressure alone. Bednar draws a line between an active EU fine against Google and the timing of its naming change, raising the question of whether this was really about following an executive order at all.

She also explains exactly what these mapping platforms are built to track about the people using them, information that has very little to do with actually finding your way somewhere.

Topics: MapQuest, Vass Bednar, Google Maps surveillance, Trump executive order, data privacy

GUEST: Vass Bednar | https://canadianshieldinstitute.ca/

Originally aired on 2026-09-03