United States Senator Al Franken continues to clamp down on privacy issues in technology.
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Pokemon Go players can opt out of things such as sharing their precise location and other device identifiers, Franken said, but he also commented that many players are children and might not do this.
His letter comes after security analyst Adam Reeve last week suggested Pokemon Go “is a huge security risk”, based on the “full access” app permissions granted to developers by folks logging in with a Google account.
This project is still ongoing and we’re expecting to experience a few kinks as augmented reality progresses. However, he did ask Niantic’s CEO to consider several questions and provide answers by August 12.
“We presume that out of every 100 units earned at the App Store, 30 would go to Apple, 30 to [software developer] Niantic, 30 to Pokemon and 10 to Nintendo,”Gibson explained”. Are there any other purposes for which Pokemon Go collects all of this information?
Pokemon GO’s instant popularity appears to be the result of nostalgia for the classic 20-year-old cartoon franchise and players’ desire to win kudos within the game by capturing as many characters as possible. However, if you’ve downloaded the new update, it should say “Pokemon Go has access to basic account information”.
Obviously an agreement would need to be reached with the rights holders of the HBO series in order to create a GoT spin-off, but fans are now dreaming of Pokemon Go style of game based on the world created by George R.R. Martin. Niantic has since recognized that it erroneously asked for more permissions than it intended. The game which has been under our radar since September 2015 is now taking the world by storm.
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GameSpot has contacted Niantic to try to find out if the developer has seen Franken’s note and plans to respond.
