More than 70 players of the hit augmented reality game Pokemon GO see themselves as victims and have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commision since the games launch back in July. According to Polygon, much of those complaints are due to problems with the game encountered after the update; which removed the ability to track Pokemon.
Money And Server Complaints
Polygon filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Trade Commission so they could disclose their records regarding the number of Pokemon GO players that have a beef against Niantic. There are a total of 72 complaints filed against the game through September 13; 56 were against Pokemon GO developer Niantic, and the rest is spread between Nintendo and The Pokemon Company.
Much of the complaints involve money and the failure from Niantic's part to take care of the matter despite many players contacting them through emails and personal appeals. One customer spent nearly $450 on the game but this is before Niantic blocked third-party apps and banned accounts using these certain apps, including the user's. The person wrote and said he had his account taken away from him without warning and hasn't heard a word from Niantic even after sending them an email appealing for the ban. "I would like to have all my money that I spent on their game refunded or my account returned to me so i can continue to play their game."
Private Property, Privacy and Safety
Other complaints involved concerns for private property and privacy as some of the complainants who don't even play the game sometimes have Pokemon GO players showing up at their house. One small hospital from Oregon said that Pokemon GO players are constantly showing up at their doorstep asking to go into private areas and collect from the Pokestop.They wish that hospitals and clinics are removed from the game as their hospitals work carefully to protect patient privacy.
Some concerns are about their privacy because an app like Pokemon GO requires full access of their Google account. This gives them access to emails, calendar contents, contact, et cetera; and at no time does the application states the extent of the access when linking a Google account to the game and this "very aggressively deceives players into revealing potentially and incredibly private information."
The game raised safety concerns from the as some players confessed they were driving while they played and some were too distracted by their phones that they failed to be aware of their environment. A driver who doesn't play the game complained that he almost killed a child who veered into the road way while holding his cellphone.
