Pokemon Go is Collecting All Your Data: Here's How To Stop It

Millions of people are collecting Pokemon on the new app Pokemon Go while the developers are collecting their data.

The developer Niantic Inc is a spinoff of Google-owner Alphabet and uses GPS in its users' smartphones to track all their movements. Niantic tracks where people go, when, how long they stayed for and keeps all of that information.

According to the Pokémon Go privacy policy, Niantic may hold onto its users' email address, IP address, the web page people were using before logging into Pokémon Go, their username, and their location.

If you logged into the game using your Google account and use an iOS device, unless you specifically revoke it, Niantic has access to your entire Google account. That means Niantic has read and write access to your email, Google Drive, and more.

And if Niantic servers would be hacked then the hackers would have access to your entire Google account.

So here's how to revoke it:

1. Head to your Google security page and look for Pokémon Go.

2. Select Pokémon Go and then click “Remove” to revoke full access.

3. Launch the game on your device and confirm it still works.

There have been limited tests of playing the game after doing this. Some seem to think they can't play without it (or log in) but the app also goes down a lot so it's hard to tell! 

Obviously, there’s nothing saying that Niantic is collecting this data for malicious purposes, or even to sell your data, but considering they don’t explicitly ask you for it on iOS, it’s a little surprising. Android users, however, are explicitly asked to allow this access.

Check out some of the weirdest things that have happened to people while playing Pokemon Go!

Plus, here's what the NZ Police have to say about the game.