Pokemon Go gets patched, U.S. Senator asks questions


Today the widely popular Pokemon Go app for iOS got an update to address concerns over excessive access to personal information. When authenticating through Google's services, the app apparently granted all available access to the user's account, which included information from Gmail, for example. The issue was exasperated by being the only way new users could sign up as the conventional registration system was disabled for an extended period by the developer due to high traffic.

Also today U.S. Senator Al Franken issued a request for information on how and why the app collects user's personal information. A privacy advocate, Franken is inquiring to what extent and the rational for collecting information after it made the news. Franken specifically sited personal information of children playing the game. Franken acknowledged the the quick fix and also services can benefit from appropriate use of user data.

I believe Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, and that right includes an individual's access to information, as well as the ability to make meaningful choices, about what data are being collected about them and how the data are being used. As the augmented reality market evolves, I ask that you provide greater clarity on how Niantic is addressing issues of user privacy and security, particularly that of its younger players.