A Google Maps Glitch Turned This Korean Fishing Town Into a 'Pokemon Go' Haven (vice.com)

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A Google Maps Glitch Turned This Korean Fishing Town Into a 'Pokemon Go' Haven (vice.com)

Posted by msmash on Tuesday July 19, 2016 @06:40AM from the moral-dilemma dept.

Madison Margolin, reporting for Motherboard: A glitch in Google Maps has turned the small fishing town of Sokcho, South Korea, into a Pokemon Go tourist haven. The globally popular mobile game hasn't launched yet in South Korea, but that hasn't stopped clever gamers from finding a way to play it anyways. The city of Sokcho is taking full advantage of it, according to this video by the Wall Street Journal. Because of Cold War era laws preventing North Korea from obtaining maps of the country, the use of Google Maps is restricted in South Korea, the WSJ reports. However, a fluke in the system allows it to work in Sokcho, in the northeast corner of the country, just outside the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between North and South Korea. Sokcho is outside the range of indexing grids that Pokemon Go developers used for mapping restrictions of South Korea and other countries.

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Pokemon GO distraction story again. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 06:43 · Score: 0

Fun fact about Google / US Government street view.
License plates are only blurred on client side. Faces too.
1. Re:Pokemon GO distraction story again. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 06:47 · Score: 0
  
  DMV cross-reference is easy. Facial recognition too.
2. Re:Pokemon GO distraction story again. by tripleevenfall · 2016-07-19 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  So basically, this could tell me where to find pikachu? TAKE MY MONEY
3. Re:Pokemon GO distraction story again. by EvilSS · 2016-07-19 07:40 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Fun fact about Google / US Government street view.
  License plates are only blurred on client side. Faces too.
  Fun fact: stuff you leave out in public view like license plates and your face are not private anyway.
  
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4. Re:Pokemon GO distraction story again. by Dishevel · 2016-07-19 08:30 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I think that is horrible that you use facts and logic to tear down the unrighteous indignation that people so love.
  
  --
  Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
5. Re: Pokemon GO distraction story again. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 08:57 · Score: 0
  
  Chances are that many of our faces are already on at least one complete stranger's facebook page, anyway ... of those that don't bother to crop after they click.
RTFA doesn't help by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 06:47 · Score: 0

Why exactly does not having that location outside of indexing grid make it a Pokemon haven?
-guy who memorized all first 151 Pokemon names and stood in line for four hours to get Mew with Nintendo certificate.
1. Re:RTFA doesn't help by allo · 2016-07-26 22:17 · Score: 1
  
  It's a haven, not a heaven. So you can just play there, when the rest of the country is restricted. that's all.
Not A Huge Problem, Yet. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 06:49 · Score: 1

This shouldn't be too much of an issue for Pokeman Go.
Missile Command Go however will be a completely different story.
1. Re:Not A Huge Problem, Yet. by Joe_Dragon · 2016-07-19 06:52 · Score: 1
  
  http://global.thermonuclearwar... does not need GPS
2. Re:Not A Huge Problem, Yet. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:00 · Score: 0
  
  Then why is it asking me to share my location and refusing to let me interact when I decline?
3. Re:Not A Huge Problem, Yet. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:02 · Score: 0
  
  North Korean cyber command probably knows how to use a proxy to access Google maps from outside of NK/SK and get the map that way...
4. Re:Not A Huge Problem, Yet. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?
Someone Please Explain The Glitch by eepok · 2016-07-19 06:52 · Score: 3, Insightful

The video glossed over it and the article said practically nothing. Some of you probably understand the issue, so here's your chance to earn some points!
1. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 06:56 · Score: 1
  
  Restricted area includes all of SK except for this town, because it is above the latitude line defining the DMZ, which was used as SK boundary.
2. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by gurps_npc · 2016-07-19 07:00 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Certain areas, such as the entire country of South Korea, are legally forbidden from using GPS style location determination. They are afraid an invading army/missile will use it for targeting.
  They put a lock on such services based on geography.
  But the lock is not perfect, it uses a grid to determine which areas are GPS allowable and which are not.
  The grid is supposed to exclude all of South Korea, but a small town happens to be just outside of their grid. So GPS devices work there.
  Pokemon Go requires access to your GPS as part of the game (or rather, they designed the game to need access to your GPS so they can get your geolocation for advertising purposes).
  As such, you can't play Pokemon Go in South Korea, EXCEPT in that one small village.
  
  --
  excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
3. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:08 · Score: 1
  
  Kotaku had a much better explanation with a map showing the satelite picture explanation:
  http://kotaku.com/desperate-to-play-pokemon-go-korean-gamers-travel-nort-1783639786
4. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Lumpy · 2016-07-19 07:19 · Score: 1
  
  so just use GLONASS instead. it bypasses US GPS lock Sillyness.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
5. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by eepok · 2016-07-19 07:21 · Score: 1
  
  You, ma'am/sir, would win my points were I able to score posts after having made a post.
6. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by pla · 2016-07-19 07:24 · Score: 2
  
  or rather, they designed the game to need access to your GPS so they can get your geolocation for advertising purposes
  
  I would normally agree with you, but PoGo has exactly zero ads in it (not even the voluntary "Watch this short ad for a buff" type so common in Freemium games). Nor, for that matter, have I received a single even remotely spammy email of any kind at the throwaway GMail account I used to register.
  
  Really, no need - People apparently can't throw money at it fast enough. Can't say I quite get it, though... Cute toy, but to have literally doubled Nintendo's market cap in the past few weeks? Wow.
7. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  Residents of the small fishing town will "overfish" the water pokemon and endanger most species in the process.
8. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by _xeno_ · 2016-07-19 07:42 · Score: 2
  
  Some of the Pokestops are apparently paid ads from businesses. (I know that Ingress portals could be paid ads for businesses as well, so this isn't surprising.)
  If we're going to talk about this stupid game, might as well mention that apparently their method of monetizing is making it impossible to catch Pokemon after you break a certain level, requiring you to buy "better" Pokeballs for real money or something along those lines.
  
  --
  You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
9. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:46 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  It has nothing to do with GPS or GLONASS. It's because Pokemon Go (like Ingress) uses Google Maps data, and Google Maps data is less specific in South Korea due to national security restrictions. (2, 3, and this Reddit thread about why Ingress doesn't work in South Korea)
  Since Pokemon Go features are tied to map data on roads, landmarks, and buildings, and South Korean maps don't have that data, Pokemon Go doesn't work... except in Sochko, which as a quirk of the grid system is exempt from the data granularity restriction.
10. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by swillden · 2016-07-19 08:26 · Score: 2
  
  Certain areas, such as the entire country of South Korea, are legally forbidden from using GPS style location determination.
  I was in South Korea last month, and played Ingress, used Google Maps, and used Uber, all over Seoul and various areas outside of it (including on a trip up to the DMZ). My phone was definitely using GPS location. Network location is much less precise and your location bounces around a lot. Wifi-based location is quite precise, but only in areas where there are a lot of APs -- which is certainly the case in Seoul, but definitely not the case in outside of it.
  So, your statement seems reasonable, but is inconsistent with my firsthand experience.
  
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11. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by gurps_npc · 2016-07-19 09:29 · Score: 1
  
  Your phone did NOT use GPS location. Instead it used CELL TOWER location. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and uses US military satellites. The exact same satellites the US uses to target missiles.
  Your phone never communicated with the GPS satellites that orbit the planet. Instead it communicated with cell towers on the ground.
  That is why the network location appeared 'much less precise' and "bounces around a lot'.
  And yes, wifi location
  
  --
  excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
12. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by neoRUR · 2016-07-19 09:33 · Score: 1
  
  So not only do they get Pokemon first, they will also get the first North Korea ICBM first?
13. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by swillden · 2016-07-19 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  Your phone did NOT use GPS location. Instead it used CELL TOWER location.
  That's what I meant by "network location". And, yes, it is much less precise and bounces around a lot... which my location in SK did *not* do. I pointed out those characteristics of network/cell tower location to make clear that that's NOT what my phone was doing.
  
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14. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 10:02 · Score: 1
  
  I live in South Korea.
  I am not sure what the article is about (not interested in Pokemon GO), but I can tell you that GPS works just fine.
  Car navigation systems are based on GPS. Enabling GPS on the phone increases location accuracy in Google maps (which also work just fine).
  From time to time North Korea messes with the GPS signal which is evident when your car's navigation system things your driving in the yellow sea, but apart from that I have not had any problems with Google Maps or GPS here.
15. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 10:36 · Score: 1
  
  There is a mapping issue in South Korea. Niantic implemented a geo-fence until this is resolved. The grid system used covers all but the far northeastern corner of the country.
16. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 10:57 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Apparently, Niantic Labs, the company in partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company and a main driver of the augmented reality genre has had previous issues with their games in Korea. This may be roughly linked with Korea’s outdated laws that restrict the use of mapping data as that has in turn slowed down Google Maps ability to gain a foothold within Korea. Users of the Niantic’s other augmented reality game, Ingress, had been complaining for years about playing in a black landscape in a mapless world, voicing their concerns through the use of the hashtags: #map4korea #niantic #blackout.
  Source: Gangnam Gamers.
  GPS is perfectly legal in South Korea. This is not an issue with GPS. The game does not work in most of the country because the developer implemented a geo-fence. They used a grid system which covered most of the country but missed the far northeastern corner. The geo-fence is the result of their past experience with mapping issues in South Korea. As speculated above, this is likely to be the result of the restrictions on map providers in South Korea. The developer plans to working around the issues and release the game to South Korea.
17. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 17:35 · Score: 0
  
  How do they convince the Satellites not to talk to me in South korea?
18. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 19:19 · Score: 0
  
  I haven't been in South Korea for a while, but when I was every car had a GPS unit stuck to its dashboard. Very memorable because they were all enormous.
  Korea also has a lot of speed cameras, but the law requires signs to be posted telling people where they are. So the GPS units are also programmed with their location and warn you when you're coming up on one. So plenty of map information is there (and I also got hard-copy tourist maps).
  So I'm also really scratching my head at this whole story.
19. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 20:38 · Score: 0
  
  (or rather, they designed the game to need access to your GPS so they can get your geolocation for advertising purposes)
  Jesus. Give it up already! Have some bloody fun in your life!
20. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by inking · 2016-07-20 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  Do you really expect more from an outlet that runs articles titled "Does Donald Trump Have A Soul"? Even the video they link to isn't their own; it's from WSJ.
21. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by gurps_npc · 2016-07-20 03:04 · Score: 1
  
  Ah. I see. Your mistake is simple. You confused what your phone does and what PokÃ©mon GO does.
  PokÃ©mon Go software uses actual, real GPS, not merely the location services. Basically it puts a fake picture of a fake pokemon at a location, as if it was invisible to the human eye, but visible to the phone camera.
  It can't do that unless it knows precisely where you are. The general location from cell towers is not good enough to keep the fake picture in the same real location.
  
  --
  excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
22. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by swillden · 2016-07-20 05:01 · Score: 1
  
  Ah. I see. Your mistake is simple. You confused what your phone does and what Pokémon GO does.
  Dude, your condescension is both obnoxious and completely unwarranted.
  I understand perfectly well the difference between cell tower triangulation, Wifi AP triangulation, GPS (2D & 3D, with and without WAAS)... and I'm telling you that my phone had good GPS reception in South Korea. I only once checked to see how many satellites it was seeing... from my hotel room window it could get only four. Outdoors, though, precision and accuracy were both excellent, to the point I didn't bother opening the GPS tools app to check satellite visibility, and this was the case both in cities (where Wifi triangulation can paper over GPS unavailability) and outside of cities.
  
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23. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Jake+Griffin · 2016-07-20 09:46 · Score: 1
  
  Nope. Have you played Pokemon Go?
  
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  SIG FAULT: Post index out of bounds.
24. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Daetrin · 2016-07-20 10:40 · Score: 1
  
  Since the rest of the thread seems to have devolved into a lot of name calling, here is some results from 5 minutes of google searching:
  
  http://www.wsj.com/articles/go...
  
  http://ogleearth.com/2012/07/c...
  
  In short, the restriction is not specifically on GPS, it's on mapping services in general. So they can use GPS to determine your location, but they're not allowed to show the details of the location you are at in high detail. Since you can see a (not very useful) map in Pokemon Go i guess it falls under the restriction? Either that or Niantic/Alphabet/Google wasn't willing to take the time to differentiate between requests to the map DB from Pokemon Go vs requests from Google Maps.
  
  On the other hand the jitteryness of the location reported by GPS that you observed may or may not have been due to GPS jamming by North Korea:
  http://www.reuters.com/article...
  
  --
  This Space Intentionally Left Blank
25. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by swillden · 2016-07-20 10:49 · Score: 1
  
  On the other hand the jitteryness of the location reported by GPS that you observed may or may not have been due to GPS jamming by North Korea
  I must have written that really unclearly :-)
  I did *not* see jitteriness of my location while in South Korea. It was rock solid and very precise, in both Google Maps and Ingress. I mentioned that network location does not have those characteristics to support my assertion that my phone was using GPS, not network location.
  
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26. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 02:54 · Score: 0
  
  That Reddit thread doesn't say that Ingress doesn't work there, just that they can't see the roads. In fact, Niantic has held at least one special event in South Korea for Ingress (Seoul had an anomaly for Abaddon, for those who know what that means).
  I have no idea what the exact impact on Pokemon Go is, I'm guessing they don't spawn any Pokemon in areas that aren't mapped.
27. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 03:05 · Score: 0
  
  Having seen the issues Ingress has there, here's my best guess.
  South Korea has a law that doesn't allow good maps to be exported from the country, because apparently North Korean spies care about violating South Korean trade laws /s. In practice (maybe case law, not sure), that translates to vector based data about roads not being able to leave the country. Google Maps gets around that by exclusively using bitmap (or some other raster format) images for the country. In Ingress, Niantic didn't feel like implementing that, so they just don't show the roads. You see a bunch of portals on a black screen. (A while back a bunch of Korean Ingress players tried to start a petition to get Niantic to fix this, everyone basically said "No, fix your stupid laws.")
  Given that people are flocking to this town to play Pokemon Go even though Ingress is usable everywhere in the country, I'm guessing the impact on Pokemon Go is worse. Perhaps due to the lack of map data they didn't place any spawn points, so an exception to the map data like this town are a gold mine. So people are going to this town to catch a ton of Pokemon, then taking them home to battle over gyms there.
28. Re:Someone Please Explain The Glitch by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 21:22 · Score: 0
  
  I live in Korea, wayz works here because it is satellite and user driven.
Someone in the government doesn't get it by Solandri · 2016-07-19 06:57 · Score: 2

Because of Cold War era laws preventing North Korea from obtaining maps of the country, the use of Google Maps is restricted in South Korea
Erm, preventing the use of Google Maps in South Korea does nothing. For this to have the desired effect, you have to prevent the use of Google Maps in North Korea, or you have to prevent Google from mapping South Korea.

I'm in the U.S. and can browse South Korea on Google Maps. It even has extensive street view photos to help any would-be North Korean spy to learn the lay of the land. So that government policy is doing nothing to prevent North Korea from getting maps of South Korea. All it's doing is preventing South Koreans from using Google Maps (which may in fact be the real purpose).
1. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:52 · Score: 0
  
  The accuracy is reduced though.
2. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by bill_mcgonigle · 2016-07-19 08:13 · Score: 1
  
  Does this mean that South Koreans don't have the benefit of GPS navigators?
  
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3. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 08:15 · Score: 0
  
  It's still good enough to be able to find what you are looking for. Even for someone like me who can't read Korean.
  So if it's good enough for that, it's good enough for whatever nefarious use the North Koreans would have. //You don't have to be right on target with a large missile, you just have to be close enough.
4. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by swillden · 2016-07-19 09:36 · Score: 1
  
  Does this mean that South Koreans don't have the benefit of GPS navigators?
  Not from what I saw. Uber drivers in Seoul certainly use them. My phone (with Google Maps) also worked just fine... way too accurate and smooth to have been using network location, and it worked well outside the city which means it couldn't rely on Wifi location.
  
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5. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 10:12 · Score: 0
  
  Because of Cold War era laws preventing North Korea from obtaining maps of the country, the use of Google Maps is restricted in South Korea
  Erm, preventing the use of Google Maps in South Korea does nothing. For this to have the desired effect, you have to prevent the use of Google Maps in North Korea, or you have to prevent Google from mapping South Korea. I'm in the U.S. and can browse South Korea on Google Maps. It even has extensive street view photos to help any would-be North Korean spy to learn the lay of the land. So that government policy is doing nothing to prevent North Korea from getting maps of South Korea. All it's doing is preventing South Koreans from using Google Maps (which may in fact be the real purpose).
  I can tell you from experience that Google Maps works like shit in North Korea. Firstly, GPS was blocked in most places. No satellites found, even when using other map apps that provide more information (like satellite signal strength and # of satellites). Nothing. I am really curious to know who is doing the blocking, South Korea/US, North Korea, or China. North Korea is basically a cold war buffer zone between South Korea/USA and China / North Korea. It could be any of those countries doing the blocking, some combination, or all of them. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if the USA/South Korea were doing the blocking to make North Korean missile guidance development/deployment much more difficult. It also wouldn't surprise me if China was behind the GPS blocking out of fear of the US's presence in South Korea. And of course the DPRK has many reasons to block GPS also, the main one being that it would make a US attack or invasion more difficult.
  
  Secondly, all internet traffic from North Korea transits through China as far as I am aware. This likely means that the traffic is subjected to the Great Firewall of China. Access to Google, Facebook, etc was really spotty the last time I was in Beijing. Sometimes / someplaces it worked fine, other times it was obviously blocked.
6. Re:Someone in the government doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 11:03 · Score: 0
  
  The summary and article poorly explain the issue. South Korean law requires map providers to restrict access to certain mapping information and satellite images in sensitive areas of South Korea (e.g., along the DMZ, military bases, etc.).
  If you zoom in on an area of the DMZ or a military base using Google Maps, then change the .com to .co.kr you will find that you can only zoom to certain point using the .co.kr domain. Korean native providers, Naver and Daum, censor their maps. They exclude satellite imagery along the DMZ or replace the images of sensitive areas with trees after a certain zoom level.
  Both google.com and google.co.kr are fully accessible in South Korea. It's possible the game is pulling data from unrestricted maps, so that's why they're not allowed to use it in South Korea.
This is begging for wearable augmented reality by mark-t · 2016-07-19 07:04 · Score: 2

Google glass was a bust... Hololens, maybe?

--
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
The hype train is coming through... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:11 · Score: 0

Who travels to play this braindead game which is basically banned in the entire country, except for this one place? It doesn't get much more daft than that, does it?
Seriously I'm kinda scared by future+assassin · 2016-07-19 07:12 · Score: 2

seeing young/grown adults acting like that towards a video game.

--
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
1. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:25 · Score: 1
  
  Would you prefer they act like that towards a spectator sport?
  Would you prefer they act like that towards a group of aging musicians who haven't done anything new in 15 years?
2. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:33 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  You mean "having fun"? Terrifying!
3. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by HeadSoft · 2016-07-19 07:39 · Score: 1
  
  A slashdot nerd who is AGAINST video games? I don't think you belong here, turn in your card! :)
4. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:41 · Score: 0
  
  You must be new around here.
5. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:45 · Score: 0
  
  Yes?
6. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by future+assassin · 2016-07-19 07:45 · Score: 1
  
  You'll have to to pry my Slash card from the hand that are chocking the next Poki victim.
  
  --
  by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
7. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 08:13 · Score: 0
  
  Simple question: Why? Why should this be regarded as in any way "scary"?
  I bet you can't give an intelligent answer that doesn't boil down to "I'm angry that other people enjoy something I don't like".
8. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by phantomfive · 2016-07-19 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  Sportsball is so much more normal, right? Why can't we all just act like sportsballers?
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
9. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by phantomfive · 2016-07-19 09:30 · Score: 1
  
  to act as a community.
  I don't even play Pokemon Go, and I've already had community-building conversations with people I never would have talked with otherwise.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
10. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 10:58 · Score: 0
  
  Fuck off with your religious bullshit. There's nothing wrong with people having fun as long as no-one is getting hurt. People are allowed to be selfish, they don't have to do things for the "greater good", they don't have to better themselves or society.
11. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 17:44 · Score: 0
  
  Sport?
  Gambling?
  Drinking Alcohol until you puke your guts out?
12. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 18:02 · Score: 0
  
  Yep, that's certainly a danger with sports, alcohol, art, video games - including candy crush, call of duty, world of Warcraft, and yes, Pokémon Go, movies, drugs and television.. And virtually any other recreation thing you like.
  (Now, kids running out onto a road because they're chasing a Pokémon and have lost all real-world situational-awareness is a real concern.)
13. Re:Seriously I'm kinda scared by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-20 14:05 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, that makes sense. All the games designed to be intentionally addictive are immoral and should be shunned as addictive drugs are.
i wish Britain was like North Koreah by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 07:18 · Score: 0

Sire. We mustnt use gps in order to hidefrom yankee patriot missiles!
1. Re:i wish Britain was like North Koreah by Woldscum · 2016-07-19 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  No. Most of Soul would be under direct old school dumb shell artillery fire. It is only 35 miles from the DMZ.
2. Re:i wish Britain was like North Koreah by PPH · 2016-07-19 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  The British seem to have a somewhat more relaxed view of secutity.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
3. Re:i wish Britain was like North Koreah by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 19:40 · Score: 0
  
  Funny, but it's an old cold-war era nuclear bunker that turned out to not be watertight. Government sold it off cheaply and it's now a minor tourist attraction (hence the brown background on the sign). They've even got their own website
Google Street View (faces/license plates) by crow · 2016-07-19 07:27 · Score: 1

I've wondered how hard it would be for Google to take multiple photos and then automatically remove temporary objects like cars and people. I'm not sure how they could do it without significantly adding to the cost of collecting the images, though (by combining photos from multiple drives). They might be able to remove pedestrians with multiple cameras at different angles on the same vehicle.
1. Re:Google Street View (faces/license plates) by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-20 00:40 · Score: 1
  
  It'd be hard to do because of varying light levels on different days. Also the difficulty of getting the exact same perspective would cause stitching errors. And a lot of the time, especially with parked cars in busy cities, _something_ will always be there anyway.
2. Re:Google Street View (faces/license plates) by allo · 2016-07-26 22:16 · Score: 1
  
  Only problem: The app does not send photos home.
Items as well for Ingress by sethstorm · 2016-07-19 08:03 · Score: 3, Informative

Some sponsored game items:
AXA, an insurance company, sponsors a shield item.
Mitsubishi's financial group (MUFG) sponsors an "interest bearing container" that randomly duplicates items
Softbank, a Japanese mobile phone network provider, sponsors a link booster.
Lawson, a Japanese convenience store chain, sponsors an energy cube booster.

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1. Re:Items as well for Ingress by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-20 02:43 · Score: 0
  
  Is it legal for businesses to advertise to children in this way?
2. Re:Items as well for Ingress by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-20 07:26 · Score: 0
  
  Is it legal for businesses to advertise to children in this way?
  It's not "advertising". Pokestops have a picture of what the stop is, and apparently there are ways for a business to pay the developer to add their location, which means it adds their picture.
  Or put another way, if it's illegal, then so is having a sign on the outside of your building.
Ingress... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 08:08 · Score: 0

And for all the people who either used to play Ingress or are now doing both, a healthy and hearty fuck off.
Not a bug. by Gravis+Zero · 2016-07-19 08:18 · Score: 1

Most Pokemon have migrated to North Korea for safety. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Kim having the only smartphone, got the Pokemon Go bug and is now touring the country in an attempt to "catch 'em all".

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Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
How are they intending to release there anyway?? by Tyrannosaur · 2016-07-19 09:33 · Score: 1

The globally popular mobile game hasn't launched yet in South Korea

Makes sense; it hasn't released worldwide yet, but

the use of Google Maps is restricted in South Korea

... which means that until this changes, it can't ever be released in South Korea; Pokemon Go uses Google Maps as an important integral part of the game!
Re:How are they intending to release there anyway? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 11:06 · Score: 0

It's important, but not integral. Having the map show in the game, is just a "nice to have". What is integral are the Pokestop and Pokemon Gyms in the game, however these were crowd-sourced, they were initially created as portals in Ingress, submitted by the users of that game. As people apparently play Ingress in South Korea, there must be portals there, therefore there will be Pokestops and Pokemon Gyms.
GPS thing does not make sense. by will_die · 2016-07-19 13:20 · Score: 1

Checking some geocaching forums no one in South Korea mentions GPS issues and there are plenty of caches in the country.
You do have issues with north korea jamming GPS signals. http://www.reuters.com/article...
Instead of GPS being illegal what is happening is that Pokemon GO is not enable for SK. This is done by the methods mentioned except that the place mentioned in the article is not part of the country block.
1. Re:GPS thing does not make sense. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-19 18:09 · Score: 0
  
  What IS the case is the use of high-resolution Google Map data hosted outside of South Korea is not permitted.. Presumably, blocking the whole app is the fastest way to block access to any high-res map data that Google has on South Korea.