Pokemon Go may have shattered many records that includes beating the Facebook Android app usage, but the controversies surrounding it is quite alarming and have led to certain mishaps. A Pokemon Go player was robbed at knife point in New Hampshire, a player got stuck in a tree in a cemetery in New Jersey, a teenager was led to a dead body in a river in Wyoming, and in Baltimore a man drove into a police car that shows it prompts people to venture into dangerous neighbourhoods and exposes them to criminals. But the fans are defending the augmented reality game by arguing that using Google maps and your location through IP address, the game forces you to walk out and connect with the neighbourhood.
On parts of the accidents and mishappening, they say that these type of incidents can be avoided by being more alert. Bu the critics claimed that the addictive nature of the game may compel people to take unwise decisions.
The game has been launched in Japan but it is yet to get nod in China. On the part of China, some people fear that it could be used by the US and Japan to locate military bases in the country. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has, however, denied any such claims.
Many countries have issued advisories regarding the game and some have even raised ‘national security’ concerns. Egyptian officials are considering banning the game because it allegedly exposes the country’s vital security sites to the world. Both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have asked their citizens to exercise caution. In Bosnia, players have been warned to “watch out for minefields”.
The ‘privacy matters’
The Pokemon Go get the full access to downloaded phone once it gets installed. Here full means full – from email address, IP address, the web page you used or you will use, your username, location and if not revoked, your entire Google account’s read and write access, leading to more privacy concerns.
According to consumer advocates of Germany, Pokemon Go breaks the country’s consumer and privacy law and they have threatened Niantic with a lawsuit if it doesn’t make the mobile app’s terms more “privacy-friendly”.
The privacy debate forced Niantic to issue a clarification: “Pokémon Go only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your user ID and e-mail address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected.”
Impact on your body and brain:
As the supporters argue that it pushes a person to go out and sparks imagination, the fact is that the game works on pre-defined goals which encourages feelings “of effectiveness and moving forward”, reported Psychology Today. But some doctors/psychologists feel that the game adds to stress levels of the players.
Swelling data usages
Pokemon Go may for sure inflate your phone bills. As you have to keep moving while playing the game, the wi-fi access is not possible at most of the places and you have to use your phone data to play the game with enabled GPS services. So, the more data you use, the more inflated bill you will receive.
Since the app uses Google Map, GPS, camera, your phone’s battery will keep drying fast. So, keep a power bank with you to keep playing, keep moving, if the above mentioned contents do not matter much for you.