Pokemon Go, privacy issue: Tarabella (SeD) 'We will present a request to the EU'

According to the MEP Marc Tarabella, gaming apps like Pokemon Go and Tinder are violating the protection of personal data.

MEPs' attention moves to gaming without cash prizes too. The video game app Pokemon Go, which is causing controversy worldwide for the particular type of game involving the reality, is the subject of an initiative by Marc Tarabella (S&D). Tarabella has already spoken about the subject of gaming with cash prizes, stressing the need to have a European legislation on online gaming, emphasizing consumer protection but without having a prohibition attitude. More severe his opinion of Pokemon Go and Tinder, considered according to the MEP, games that infringe European law. "Through Pokemon Go, the Niantic Labs company infringes the European law regarding personal data protection. The conditions of use are filled with clauses that seem to be abusive and causing a significant imbalance in rights and obligations at the expense of the player. We therefore ask for an European investigation. Given the number of mobile apps, but also of Internet sites violating consumer privacy and the European legislation, it would be useful to safeguard a European warning system. This would allow national authorities to join their forces against those companies who 'make fun' of citizens' rights. It would also enable consumers to know to which right they are remouncing by installing a particular app," Marc Tarabella, MEP responsible for consumer protection, explains. This kind of request will be presented this week to the European Commission. "Playing on the app we accept the privacy policy, policy that is in a third document. Niantic collects your Google email address, that of your Facebook account, and/or even the one left in the Pokémon “club” and the policy parameters that you have decided for these sites. Some cookies are installed on your device to control Internet surfing. Nothing is said about their life and uninstalling them prevents game to work. The company may also, through 'web beacons', to control which web pages are visited by the 'hunters'. Niantic reserves to recover the user's location, his IP address, but also the last page opened by the user. All this, of course, without the real consent of the user. The app is therefore based on a widespread access to personal data, beyond operational activities and imposes them a lot of clauses considered unfair," the MEP adds. Who gains? "First of all, Niantic. In its privacy policy (art 3-d) is explained that all user data are part of the company business. So, we willingly imagine that the number of users and, therefore, of their data has an impact on the company's takings. Then Google, of which Niantic is an internal start-up. The Niantic founder, John Hank, was also the director of Google map. In the description of the patent that has been filed for Pokemon Go, his intentions are clear: 'The real challenge is to motivate players to constantly provide data, even after the initial enthusiasm of the technological innovation. The data collection process must be fun'. Google, for its part, explains its participation 'for research and analysis purposes, demographic profiling and similar purposes'. For them, the hunt for intimate data of people is obviously considered a game and a source of research or income. In Europe, privacy protection is a fundamental right. We must react, warn and strongly condemn these massive frauds", Marc Tarabella denounces again. According to the MEP, "Europe must, on the one hand, to carry out an enquiry or coordinate investigations of member states and, on the other hand, create a warning platform where people can easily know which rights they are giving up installing a particular app". The MEP responsible for consumer protection will present a request of this kind to the European Commission this week. "A real machine to collect data and violate the privacy of its users is hidden behind what should be only a game, whose purpose is to have fun. Europe and member states have to propose an action to ensure compliance with the law and defend the rights of European people", Tarabella ends without any hesitation.