IDF Bans ‘Pokemon Go’ App From Military Bases Amid Security Fears

Pokemon Go
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty

The Jerusalem Post reports: Acting on concerns that soldiers on IDF bases playing Pokemon Go could download a lookalike application and inadvertently reveal sensitive data, the military this week banned all usage of the smart phone application on military property.

The decision was taken by the IDF’s Security Division, which recently ordered all soldiers and officers to cease playing the game on base immediately.

The IDF Spokesperson Unit said in a statement that “a concern over the leaking of sensitive military information, such as photographs and base locations,” drove the decision.

Military sources said they had become aware of another application that “looks and acts like the original [Pokemon Go] application, which causes data to be leaked out,” adding that this was the real reason for banning the game.

It noted that “as part of the installation of the application, a device’s camera is activated to enable the game’s embedded reality, while location sensors, for orientation around an area, are also activated.”

Read more here.

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