Using a Google Account for Pokemon GO Could Be a Security Risk

Using a Google account to log in to Pokemon GO has the unexpected side-effect of granting the app full access to all the information on that account, as noted on Google's help page. Researcher Adam Reeve first noted this security risk, then went on to clarify that this is only the case for iOS users, while it's different for android users. Pokemon GO users can choose to log in to the app using either their Google accounts or a Pokemon Trainer Club account. Only the Google account is associated with this security risk.

Logging in with the Google account grants Niantic Labs, the game developer, the ability to "see and modify" nearly all the users information, which includes emails. It should be noted that there is no evidence Niantic Labs is collecting or modifying any information and this could just be a misstep on the company's part. However, Google reccomends that users only grant full access to apps they totally trust, so if you have any doubts, it's a good idea to take another look.

Users can see if Niantic Labs has been granted full access to their accounts by checking their app permissions through here. Niantic Labs has yet to comment on this development, but websites like IGN have recently reached out to the company.

Pokemon GO is a wildly popular app that is has blown up so much it will likely soon surpass Twitter in number of users. So the app will have full access to a huge number of people. This is also not the only issue with the Pokemon GO app, as Niantic Labs has been struggling to fix several bugs that have popped up. The company is also trying to develop new features for the app, so it really has its hands full.

Though I doubt Niantic Labs is up to anything incredibly sinister here, this is still a security risk so I think it's a good idea to be cautious. Here's hoping that Niantic Labs will adress this issue soon. What do you think of the security risk? Does it unsettle you?

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