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Belarus has accused popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go of spying. Head of the ideological work department of the Belarusian Ministry of Defence, Alexander Ivanov said that Pokémon Go is being used by Western intelligence agencies namely the CIA to learn about Belarusian military assets.
Speaking on the Belarusian talk show "Po sushchestvu" (Essentially), Ivanov insinuated that the most active places of this game coincided with sensitive Russian military sites around Minsk.
When Pokémon Go launched in 2016, it immediately became an overnight sensation, with players able to catch digital Pokémon in any real-life spot. Despite its very harmless concept, many nations like Russia have already suspected that the online game could be a tool for espionage. Niantic, the US firm which developed the game, has strongly denied those accusations.
Ivanov's statements were part of continuing concern over the game being used to spy on targets. According to him, in the heyday of Pokémon Go's popularity, it had been reported that multiple virtual creatures were put near the 50th air base, which has a high significance for Belarusian military activity. He said that this already evidences a deliberate intelligence operation, more than a coincidence.
The idea that Pokémon Go could be used for espionage is not new. This concern was first, and most loudly, raised by Russia, along with other countries, although most of these claims have since been largely discredited. For the second time, Niantic, the parent company of the game has denied involvement in espionage and reiterated that it followed local laws and regulations.
While officials in Belarus are ringing alarm bells, the wider world remains unconvinced. Pokémon Go is part of a growing anxiety about digital privacy and technology's increasingly integral role in national security.
