25. August 2016
A Belgian Minister of European Parliament wants that the European Commission investigates the App “Pokemon Go” in order to determine whether the App is compliant with European data protection law and furthermore, to warn European citizens of the dangers caused by the App.
Therefore, the respective Minister of European Parliament, Marc Tarabella, commented that the App violates not only the General Data Protection Regulation but furthermore, that it might violate the Europeans E-Privacy Directive due to the fact that the App stores cookies and trackers on users’ smartphones. He added “In their eyes, tracking personal data of people is clearly considered a game and a source of research or revenue” and concluded “In Europe, the protection of privacy remains a fundamental right. We have to react, warn and strongly condemn these massive scams.”
12. August 2016
Due to the fact that the smartphone App called Pokemon Go inserts the animated creatures into real-life surroundings by using real-time GPS data and phone cameras the concern about the safety and privacy implications of location-based games and apps was raised.
- In the US armed criminals using Pokemon Go lured teenage victims to an isolated place where they were robbed last month.
- Iran became the first country to ban the game because of unspecified “security concerns” last week.
- Also, the contract customers must agree to before using the game has been questioned by consumer watchdogs across Europe due to the fact that Pokemon Go’s terms of service abandon a player’s rights to courtroom representation as a plaintiff or class action member unless the player opts out within a month of the download.
A spokesman for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner commented that in regard to Pokemon Go “It was not aware of any specific data protection issues arising at this stage”. He continued by saing “However, like any smartphone app that seeks permissions in respect of users’ personal data, such as location data or for advertising or personalising services, there are privacy implications and users should make themselves aware of the terms to which they are agreeing in downloading and installing the app”.
The spokesman concluded that “In respect of location data, this office will be publishing detailed guidance early next week to assist individuals in understanding how organisations collect and process information relating to their location and their rights to the protection of their personal data.”
