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PSA: Pokemon Go Has Full Access To Your Google Account Data (techcrunch.com)

An anonymous reader writes: If you're an iPhone user and have installed Pokemon GO, you may have noticed that the app grants itself full access to your Google account. It can read your email, location history, documents and pretty much every else associated with your Google account. (You can check to see for yourself here.) Given the nature of the game, it's understandable for it to request a lot of permissions, as it needs your precise location, ability to access the camera and motion sensors, read and write the SD card, and charge you money when you run out of Pokeballs or eggs. But full access to your Google account is pushing it, even if Niantic or Nintendo has no malicious intentions. If you're concerned about these permissions, you can always sign-up using a Pokemon Trainer account, assuming the servers are permitting. Google describes full account access as such: "When you grant full account access, the application can see and modify nearly all information in your Google Account (but it canâ(TM)t change your password, delete your account, or pay with Google Wallet on your behalf). This 'Full account access' privilege should only be granted to applications you fully trust, and which are installed on your personal computer, phone, or tablet."

2 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. People don't care by DogDude · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People simply don't care. In all honesty, most people's lives aren't interesting or important enough to be worth anything to anybody, anyway. Harvest their data, try to sell them (more) crap they don't need, and that's about it.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  2. Re:Not to worry by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Do you even know how this sort of thing works?

    Well hurr durr no, these new-fangled computin' machines are a consarn mystery to us techo-n00bs.

    The article says, "you may have noticed that the app grants itself full access to your Google account"...

    If it asks for those permissions, then it isn't granting itself a goddamn thing, now is it?

    So, either the article is wrong or the app grants itself full access.

    Out of curiosity, what part of "grants itself full access" sounds like "the app requests for those permissions when you install it"?

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    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...