Data collected from millions of Pokemon Go players is suspected of\nbeing used to train artificial intelligence (AI) for United States\nmilitary drones. The technology is considered potentially capable of\nhelping drones determine navigation in war zones, particularly when GPS\nsignals are unavailable or disrupted.<\/p>\n
Pokemon Go, an augmented reality (AR) game released in 2016 by\nNiantic in collaboration with Nintendo, allows players to find and\ncapture Pokemon in the real world using their phone cameras. The game\nachieved global popularity and by 2018 was reported to have been\ndownloaded more than 800 million times worldwide.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Pokemon Go introduced a location scanning feature via\nPokeStops. This feature allowed players to earn in-game rewards by\nscanning buildings or locations using their phone cameras. From this\nactivity, Niantic reportedly collected more than 30 billion images and\nlocation scans from users. This data was then used to develop a Visual\nPositioning System (VPS) that helps AI understand and map physical\nspaces in the real world.<\/p>\n
The technology subsequently became part of the development of Niantic\nSpatial, a subsidiary of Niantic focused on spatial mapping and AI\nsystems for robots, agents, and autonomous systems that require an\nunderstanding of the physical world based on geometry and physics.\nAccording to a report by DroneXL, the camera-based navigation model was\nultimately used by United States defence contractors for military drones\nand other robots.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom mobile game to battlefield. Initially, players scanned the\nphysical world through a mobile game, then Niantic Spatial processed the\nscans into 3D maps enabling machines to determine location via sight\nwhen satellite signals are unavailable. And in December 2025, Niantic\nSpatial announced a partnership with a defence company called Vantor,\u201d\nthe DroneXL report stated, as quoted by NME.<\/p>\n
The partnership between Niantic Spatial and Vantor aims to enable\ndrones to navigate and coordinate precisely in areas without GPS\nsignals. An official statement said the partnership also targets key\nweaknesses in modern operations, such as GPS unavailability, signal\nspoofing, and jamming.<\/p>\n
A Niantic Spatial spokesperson argued they did not use illegal\nmethods. According to the spokesperson, all AR scans collected through\nPokemon Go were submitted voluntarily by users who chose to use the\nfeature. \u201cThe data collection complied with the Terms of Service and\nprivacy policy applicable at the time,\u201d the Niantic Spatial spokesperson\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The use of civilian data for military purposes has sparked concerns\nfrom various parties. Digital Rights Watch Head of Policy Tom Sulston\nassessed the practice as worrying because most users do not read lengthy\nterms and conditions documents when downloading and playing games. \u201cEven\nif it is in their terms and conditions, we know that most people don\u2019t\nread long legal documents when they want to play a game,\u201d Sulston said,\nas quoted by The Guardian.<\/p>\n
Sulston stated that regulators need to implement standards focused on\nthe best interests of users or a \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d principle to\nprevent data exploitation. He also reminded that seemingly free software\nservices often treat users not as customers, but as products to be\nmonetised.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pokemon-go-player-data-allegedly-used-to-train-us-military-drones-1781353213", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }