IKnowNothing

More for your kids really, but do you realise what you are agreeing to when you download and use this app?

Well, the app requires an excessive amount of permissions on a user’s device, including the ability to read your contacts, find accounts on your device, and access your camera. The app also requires full access to a user’s Google account, which it can then use to read your emails, send emails from your account, browse your Google Drive documents and photos, etc.

Secondly, the game’s privacy policy contains such gems as: “We may disclose any information about you (or your authorised child) that is in our possession or control to government or law enforcement officials or private parties.

Private parties? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

You want that?

iggle

Funniest tweet I saw yesterday

The generation who claimed the older generation ruined their future by voting Brexit are the generation currently chasing imaginary Pokemon.

Lightandbitter

scrubbedexpat141

How many other apps do you reckon have similar?

Anyway. Stop moaning about it and get out there to catch some Pokemon.

I just caught one in the kitchen whilst making a cuppa.

iggle

I can't find the app on google play store

DXBtoDOH

Someone explain Pokemon to me.

First heard of it a few days ago. Must be living under a rock (or having a life )

iggle

It's a very old game, dating back to the Gameboy.

Basically there is around 126 Pokemon which all have powers. You find them in the wild, throw a ball at them, then they are your Pokemon. You then train the animal to fight other a Pokemon. The aim is to take over gyms, and be the most powerful Pokemon master?? If you replace the word Pokemon with animal as i first wrote the paragraph, my god it sounds like illegal.

Anywho Thats from memory of the Gameboy version, i believe Pokemon Go is the same as the Gameboy game, but instead of being fixed on to their in game maps Pokemon are in the real world GPS Map. So lets say you are in Dubai Mall, a random Pikachu might there, then you throw and ball and catch it.

IKnowNothing

Access your Google account? take over your phone? (as in switch it on and off, record and take pictures), know your exact location at any time?

So, say the developers (which aren't Nintendo) sell all your data and sell the governments of the world real time access to your data and where you are, know all your phone numbers of friends and colleagues, their email addresses, everything?

You think that is good?

iggle

Mate, Facebook Messenger some how now has access to my texts. Unless you have no bank account, store your cash under the bed, shit with the light off......the cloud knows everything about you!

I've got some spare tin foil at home if you wanna borrow?

DXBtoDOH

I won't deny that the integration of information across multiple platforms is a bit worrisome

When I went to Prague for the weekend last year, I just happened to check facebook on the phone while at a restaurant and it automatically put out a notification on FB that I was dining at that restaurant so I got a bunch of likes (I didn't tell anyone I was going to Prague and I rarely ever post on FB).

Looking at google maps before trips I now see reminders for where my hotels are (courtesy of gmail and booking.com) and if I hover Dubai airport it'll send up a reminder of an upcoming flight.

It's all harmless stuff and sometimes convenient and useful but what bothers me is the information being accessed and played around outside my control.

I can easily see how this can lead to gross abuse of personal information. Which doubtlessly will happen, although in what context remains to be seen.

The time will come when google will be broken up, me thinks. Too much information in the hands of one company is never a good thing. And I say this as someone mostly sceptical of paranoia theories of global hegemony and evil bankers.

iggle

The US Gov would never allow that. Why deal with multiple companies when you can control one big one.

Google is here to stay Remember its motto, "Don't be evil"

One of us one of us!

IKnowNothing

So you're happy with that? Are you truly aware of what these tech companies (Pokemon Go is a Google app the developer has interesting links shall we say), basically anything you say or do online is available.

The fact that now games and apps can be used as another spying source amused me.

1984 is real....

DXBtoDOH

The US government is generally anti monopoly. They have broken up large companies many times in the past. The phone companies were broken up. Standard Oil is probably the most famous example of a monopoly that was broken up.

Calling google a monopoly is stretching it but there are probably ways they can justify it using legalese. Then again google is a type of company with a range of services that we've never had before. New laws for new times?

iggle

I couldn't careless that Google knows I like Nugget Porn, as long as Google helps catch the bad guys!

scrubbedexpat141

Google play store? Is that for Android? I don't understand those things.

Dear god. You think that app is the only one? Seriously? You don't think Apple / other operating software developers don't have and abuse this power either?

You need to buy a Nokia 3310 and use post not email.