So yea, I’m currently being trendy. No, I’m not playing the game, but I am commenting on it… bear with.
What does Pokemon go know about you…
Whether you play it or not, you’ll have heard of the new Pokemon phenomenon (I have not played it). You may have also heard of the security risks to your data, depending how you sign up. You may, or may not…I’m thinking most of you the latter, have read their T&C’s when you signed up. It’s unlikely though.
To give you an example of what they can capture, as I understand it, they can tell the last page that you viewed / browsed online (this is only just one part btw) before launching the app.
So they know that, for example, you were browsing for that new shirt in GAP and that you walk down Oxford street every evening, or wherever. Outside of browsing, they could tell where you buy your coffee / lunch / go for a walk etc. They can start to commercialise your data. They can place your next Pokemon thing, in GAP, by that shirt you were browsing two days ago. You look up from your phone “oh hey there’s that shirt.” You purchase. Everyone laughs at you, not for the shirt you bought, but for the way your were sold to. Well maybe they won’t laugh, but Nintendo will be laughing all the way to the bank.
It’s the same with any Apple update, who reads the T&C’s anyway. You trust its ok or ignore it. And yes, I’m aware it’s not just Pokemon that does this…anyone on Facebook etc. But the speed at which this “new” phenomen is taking shape is quite incredible.
It is being predicted that this new Pokemon craze will be bigger than Twitter in just 3 years (if not sooner). That’s a LOT of people, a LOT of data and a LOAD of money for Nintendo.
Life with tech is heading this way anyway, but if you were oblivious to this kind of thing, have a little read before you just sign up to stuff like this yourself.