If you logged into Nintendo’s widely popular app Pokémon GO with your Google account on an iOS device, chances are the developer of the game, Niantic Labs, has “full access” to your information. While Niantic is working on fixing the coding error, the company will have the ability to read your emails as well as send and delete things using your Google account till the changes are rolled out, CNet reported.
In a statement released on Monday, Niantic admitted the coding error that “erroneously requests full access permission for the user’s Google account” and said from now on, it would limit the access it requests to just user IDs and email addresses. “Once we became aware of this error, we began working on a client-side fix to request permission for only basic Google profile information, in line with the data that we actually access,” the company said in a statement.
While there was no confirmation on the reports directly from Google, Niantic added in the statement that the tech giant had “verified that no other information has been received or accessed”. “Google will soon reduce Pokémon GO’s permission to only the basic profile data that Pokémon GO needs, and users do not need to take any actions themselves,” it said.
Pokémon GO has seen roaring success, especially in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, since its launch on July 6. The augmented reality-based app already has a higher Android user-base in the US than popular dating app Tinder. The game added $7.5 billion (around Rs 47,000 crore) to Nintendo’s market value in just two trading days.
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