Although the whole “Lake America” thing is nonsense and frustrating, I agree with Michael Geist that we want the large internet companies to follow government direction:

While critics may respond that Google was under no legal obligation to make any change since the executive order changed the official U.S. designation rather than imposing duties on private companies, the real digital sovereignty risk comes from Internet giants that disregard national laws and official designations and decide for themselves which to follow. Google could have ignored the U.S. designation, just as it could ignore a Canadian designation or law. But the better approach is to ensure that national laws and policies are respected and the services are tailored to national legal frameworks. In other words, when offering a service to Canadians, abide by Canadian law. But just as U.S. designations should stop at its border, so too should Canadian designations at ours.

Microposts