With approximately 30 billion scans, pokemon go The players have reportedly been sold to a military drone technology company.
The report is Conducted by Trau The article, published on June 5, shows how scanning (videos of locations recorded by users are saved and rewarded by the app) has led to navigation systems developed for military drones and robots. (Note: This report was read using Mozilla Firefox’s in-browser translation tool.).
Those scans are now owned by Niantic Spatial, Trouw said. Niantic Spatial is Pokemon GO. This scan is used to train a 3D model that allows players to accurately navigate space even when the GPS signal drops.
However, Niantic Spatial does not operate alone. In December last year, the company Partner with Vantaaa provider of “integrated spatial intelligence” that works across the defense, intelligence and commercial sectors.
According to the report, Vantor denied using the following data: Pokemon GO. However, Trouw said the company does not want to confirm or deny whether that means the model was trained on that data.
Late 2024, Niantic Representative confirmed in a statement The studio has spent the past five years building AI models to power VPS needed for large-scale geospatial models. When a player opts in to share an AR scan, that data is sent to the VPS and Niantic guarantees the player’s personal data. ”[has not] It was sold to everyone. ”
Now, Trouw reports that Niantic Spatial is not clear about its exact role. Pokemon GO The data is played back in Vantor’s model. In response to Mr. Trouw’s previous questions regarding cooperation with the company coco roboticsA spokesperson said the scans were used to train an “early version” of the model.
In its response, Niantic Spatial also emphasized that players have voluntarily agreed to the terms and that the company works ethically. “We are committed to working with all of our customers and partners to ensure that Niantic Spatial’s products are used responsibly, while respecting human rights and ethical principles,” the company told the publication.
In response to additional questions about its collaboration with defense companies, Niantic Spatial told True that it had no “new information to share at this time.”
According to Jeroen van den Hoven, professor of ethics and technology at Delft University of Technology, a clear conclusion can be drawn. “Without the massive amount of scans from all of our gamers, the development of this system would never have been as fast as it was,” van den Hoven told Trouw. “Athletes indirectly contributed to military applications, perhaps in a minimal but effective way.”
The game developer reached out to Scopely, Niantic, and the Pokémon Company for clarification on the matter.
