Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Mobile
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Pokémon Go Privacy Issues Bring to Light Challenge of Permissions

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    July 12, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Pokemon Go

      Just days after its debut, Pokémon Go is already one of the most popular apps in the world. However, one thing that people noticed early on with the iOS version of Pokémon Go was that when using a Google account to authenticate, the app required permissions that were somewhat intrusive.

      At first glance, it appeared as though the Pokémon Go app asked for permissions to get full access to a user’s Google account, which could have enabled the app vendor to send and read the user’s email as well as see all of the user’s contact information. It’s a situation that Niantic, the lead developer of Pokémon Go, has admitted to and is now fixing.

      “We recently discovered that the Pokémon Go account creation process on iOS erroneously requests full access permission for the user’s Google account,” Niantic stated. “However, Pokémon Go only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your User ID and email address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected.”

      Niantic now has a client-side fix in place to adjust the permissions request so as not to get access to more data than is needed. The company emphasized that Pokémon Go didn’t actually get more information than what was needed.

      Niantic’s quick response to this issue is admirable, and it seems clear to me that this was just an oversight with no intention to violate user privacy. The whole permissions system that is used to connect to Google accounts to validate a user is, however, somewhat problematic. The authentication for Google accounts is granted by way of the OAuth protocol, which is commonly used across the modern Internet.

      Security researcher Dan Guido took a look at how OAuth was implemented in Pokémon Go and found it to be somewhat lacking.

      “The OAuth login flow fails to adequately describe what permissions are being requested and silently re-enables them after they’ve been revoked,” Guido wrote in a blog post. “Further, the available documentation fails to adequately describe what the token permissions mean to anyone trying to investigate them.”

      Pokémon Go, of course, isn’t the only mobile app that makes use of Google accounts or OAuth to authenticate. I’ve had more than my share of concerns about many different applications, mobile and desktop, that implement OAuth in a way that appears to be risky to personal privacy. For example, there are lots of different chat room-type clients that first require an OAuth authorization using the user’s password, and sometimes those apps ask for more permissions than are needed.

      As Guido points out, with Google, it’s a good idea to check what apps you’ve granted permission to with the Google Security Checkup. It’s also a good idea to make use of two-factor authentication.

      Google isn’t the only OAuth provider that sometimes may be providing too much access. Facebook and Twitter can as well, so be sure to check out the applications you have authorized for those platforms too.

      Whether you like Pokémon Go or not, one thing here is for sure: It has now raised the issue of app permissions to a new level.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×