Niantic, the developers behind Pokémon GO, are currently facing criticism. They are said to have stored too much data from players.
What is the source of the criticism? The US site Kotaku wrote a lengthy report about this issue. Several European players from Wizards Unite reportedly made a data request to Niantic. It turned out that the developers store incredible amounts of player data.
Kotaku reports that Niantic even stores data from players when they haven’t opened their app at all.
Niantic allegedly stored thousands of data points
What data is involved? Mainly GPS data is affected. This makes sense, as Niantic’s AR games only work through location detection.
According to Kotaku, Niantic also stores data on calorie consumption and the distances players have traveled.
This is what makes the issue so sensitive: While storing player data is normal in the gaming industry, the sheer amount of data makes Niantic’s case particularly unique.
During the data inquiry by Kotaku, it was discovered that for a single player, over 2300 location records were stored within just 5 days.
Another point of criticism was that Niantic also stores data from players who have closed the app. Niantic explained that it is a glitch in the game’s code of the person, causing more data to be sent to Niantic when the game is only running in the background.
Why is the storage of data a problem here? Pokémon GO and Wizards Unite are games for commuting or during lunch breaks. Through the data, Niantic can quickly find out where an individual player lives and works and even where they like to eat during their lunch break.
Has something like this ever come to light before? Niantic made headlines back in the summer of 2018. They had checked Android data from players to detect possible cheaters.
Players don’t see it as bad – No surprise
What do players say about it? Many players cannot understand the criticism from Kotaku. They say that Niantic is not the only company that does this.
A user named brotrr said on reddit: “Google Maps has been doing this for years. Every month I receive an email from them telling me exactly where I’ve been, and I can review my steps for the entire month.”
Another user says: “Not really a big shock. People have been talking about this for years.”
Other commentators suggest that one should turn off location services on their smartphone in most cases and only turn it on when really needed. This way, no data can be recorded.
What do you think of the report? Do you find it troubling that Niantic records so much data from you?
