Pokémon Go uses GPS to track data related to your movement. As you run around hunting and catching Pokémon, Niantic, the game developer behind Pokémon Go, collects information from your mobile device.
Niantic can access your phone’s exact locations and cameras, and collect data and share it with third parties, including law enforcement and potential buyers. So, what data does the app collect and share about you?
Does Pokémon Go Collect Geospatial Data?
Pokémon Go’s location permission lets it track where you are, how long you’ve been there, and events during gameplay. Niantic can use this information to show you ads for businesses in that area.
Players can also share 3D scans of real-world PokéStop and Gym locations with Niantic. The company then uses this geospatial data to create 3D maps.
To protect your privacy, once the geospatial data reaches the Niantic servers, it’s anonymized, and visual data (like license plates and faces) is blurred automatically. In addition, the company doesn’t collect audio recordings and will only use your 3D scans when consented.
Pokémon Go collects a wide range of personal data, including your name, age, email address, and other data pulled from Google, Facebook, or any other account you use to sign up for the game.
The company privacy policy agreement states that Pokémon Go collects user data as a “business asset.” According to the policy, Niantic maintains the right to share anonymous data with third parties for research and analysis, demographic profiling, and other reasons.
The agreement further states if Niantic is ever sold, all that data, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), might be transferred to the new owner. The good thing is that you can request access, review it, and delete your data.
Many gamers don’t give much thought to the data they share when signing up for a new game. One app that asks you to trade in your data, including personal data, to play it is Pokémon Go.
The GPS app appears to be granular in data collection, requiring you to grant permissions like your location and camera access to access optimal gaming experience. Niantic then uses that data based on its business model, which seems unclear at the moment. At least some information is anonymized and blurred; the company’s attitude to PII, however, might leave you questioning whether Pokémon Go is ultimately worth it.
