Is Pokemon Go worth the inherent vulnerability risk?

ENS Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 23:35:47 -0400

At the moment, Pokemon Go requires full access to a players Gmail account. As seen in the picture provided, Niantic essentially can save and utilize the information of anyone who signed into Pokemon Go and retain this information even after they delete their account.

If you plan on keeping Pokemon Go, ensure that your password is not shared with any other account.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2016 11:54 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 23:54:22 -0400

Great Find!
People playing the game would have a rude awakening!

Response by SSG Roger Ayscue made Jul 12 at 2016 12:05 AM

SSG Roger Ayscue — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:05:24 -0400

You GOTTA BE Kidding....Right

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2016 2:10 AM

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 02:10:20 -0400

Not at all, Zero day has it's name written all over this

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2016 2:11 AM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 02:11:10 -0400

I don't play it but usually when apps like this request access to things like email they do so for the email contacts list so you can "recommend" the game to others.

I don't like giving any app, except for established Antivirus, full access. There's also a lot of other issues with Pokémon Go. Reports of robbery, dead bodies, walking into traffic, car crashes.

I just don't play games on my phone enough to warrant full access justification.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jul 12 at 2016 3:01 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 03:01:35 -0400

I swear this looks like something out those damn Zombie Apocalypse Movies, Sunday Night the Plaza was full of Pokemon Zombies, Tonight only noticed about 8 Zombies. LOL!

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jul 12 at 2016 6:23 AM

SrA Edward Vong — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 06:23:31 -0400

As with most media, I have a separate email account that I use to play Pokemon Go. No big deal for me.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2016 6:39 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 06:39:58 -0400

Is it worth it? in a word...YUP! Plus I'm sure that many of us have such uninteresting lives, especially if we are gonna spend time playing Pokemon Go. It's like the government is weeding out who isn't a threat to our nation. Ha!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 12 at 2016 9:09 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 09:09:00 -0400

No game is worth that risk.

Response by GySgt Carl Rumbolo made Jul 12 at 2016 10:56 AM

GySgt Carl Rumbolo — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 10:56:23 -0400

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2016 3:29 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 15:29:22 -0400

Then again you always have the option to join the Pokemon Trainer Club which allows you to play the game without using your GMail credentials and still be able to play the game

Response by GySgt Charles O'Connell made Jul 14 at 2016 7:09 PM

GySgt Charles O'Connell — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 19:09:21 -0400

I guess the days of drinking beer and shooting pool at the club are gone.

Response by Sgt Jason Markvart made Jul 26 at 2016 6:48 AM

Sgt Jason Markvart — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 06:48:20 -0400

A few ideas to make play more secure:
1. Setup a Gmail account solely for the playing of Pokemon, or other like games.
2. Disable the camera feature (in-game).
3. Don't walk into traffic, why I see people with their head down playing is odd. The game will alert you if you are close to a Pokemon.
4. Play smart. Don't go walking into an unknown area...

Response by PO3 Robert Lee made Aug 1 at 2016 10:56 AM

PO3 Robert Lee — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 10:56:50 -0400

They found the glitch. Yes it gave Nintech full access to your google account. But Google has confirmed that the company has not accessed anything that it wasn't supposed to. Just your access to log on, and gps for the game. With the 2nd to last game update. It fixed the glitch so Nintech doesn't have full access to your Google account anymore. But like with any smartphone game or app. Pay attention on where you are and things around you. It even says it on the games startup screen

Response by David Sadler made Jul 24 at 2023 11:46 PM

David Sadler — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 23:46:02 -0400

To protect your privacy and security, it's essential to ensure that your Pokémon Go password is unique and not shared with any other account. It's always a good practice to use different passwords for different services to minimize the risk of potential data breaches or unauthorized access to your accounts.

If you're uncomfortable with the level of access Pokémon Go requires or the data it retains, you might want to consider reaching out to Niantic's support team or reviewing their privacy policy to get a better understanding of their data practices.