Pokemon Go, You, Your Child, and Privacy

Pokemon Go is all the rage right now, and if your a parent you might not be to sure how to handle this new app craze that is the Angry Birds of 2016. Pokémon Go is a free-to-play location-based, augmented reality game developed and published by Niantic, Inc. for iOS and Android devices.  What you might not be aware of is some of the privacy issues that you may be exposing you and/or your child to.

As you may or may not be aware the way Pokemon Go! uses two ways to sign up for an account.  Using a Pokemon Trainer Account and tieing it to a Google Account.  If you are signing up a child to play this game I highly recommend you use the Pokemon Trainer account.  If you sign up your child with a new google account there are some issues.

1) The Google Terms of service specifies that a user must be at least 13 years of age.

"At the moment, age restrictions don't warrant a single word in Google's Gmail Terms & Privacy details. Google does, however, spell them out on YouTube, buried down in item 12 of its Terms of Service. “If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use the Service."

You can use the gmail account setup by the schools if the schools are setup for using google because there are additional privacy protections with those accounts.

2) The Pokemon Trainer account is suppose to compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule "COPPA" as is the Google Accounts for schools, and has far more privacy restrictions then with a general Google Account. 

Granted that COPPA is a US based law and according so TWIL Episode 353 it is suppose to offer better privacy protection than your typical google account.

HOW TO CREATE POKÉMON TRAINER CLUB ACCOUNT

1. Go to the Pokémon.com official website or click on this link to go to the signup page https://club.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-trainer-club/sign-up/

2. Once you enter the webpage, below the “Join the Pokémon Trainer Club”” click on “Create an Account” button.
3. Click on the button marked, “Continue,” in the section on the right hand side of the page that is marked, “Sign Up! New to Pokémon.com ? Sign up for an account now!”
4. Select your country of residence from the drop-down menu, then enter your date of birth, Next, click on the button marked, “Continue.”
5. Complete the sign up process as directed to activate your account.
6. Done. Now go back to your phone and start the Sign up process. Please make sure to use your Pokémon Trainer Club Account instead of your Google Account.

Intel's New SandyBridge Processor and Integrated DRM

Intel has made a deal with the devil; OK I'm sorry I didn't mean to insult the Devil, they made a deal with the MPAA. SandyBridge for all intents and purposes looks like a great processor, high performance low cost and worst of all integrated DRM. It was something Intel slipped into the chip when no one was looking; Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), the bane of consumers every where. It prevents you from using media you have legally purchased on different devices. The best example I can give is purchasing a song or video on iTunes then trying to load that song or video on to a non-apple device such as a Windows Phone 7, or Android tablet/phone. So now Intel is going to make every person that purchases a SandyBridge i3, i5 and i7 subject to this DRM. This isn't the first time Intel tried a boneheaded move like this, it tried it with the Tualatin-Based Pentium III's with a technology called PSN (Processor Serial Number) but privacy advocates managed to get Intel to remove this feature and it was not carried though to future processors.

 

This new DRM technology built onto the chip could be used to allow or deny you use of your computer depending on how it is implemented. To support this argument further it is also known that SandyBridge processors have a feature called Anti-Theft 3.0. This technology allows the processor to be disabled even if the computer has no internet connection. It was implemented under the premises if someone stole your computer you could shut it down. Now consider what we have here. Technology where that tracks what you have purchased; probably tracks what your using and technology that can shut your computer down. Hmmmmm...... I smell trouble here. I wonder what would happen if you tried to rip a DVD with handbrake or even tried to install handbrake? Would your computer shut off never to be turned on again or perhaps you might get a nice letter from the MPAA informing you of a court date? I don't like the idea of all these different technologies on the Intel processors calling home it feels like a violation of our privacy. If I want to spend the time and RIP my purchased DVD to my Android Phone, iPod Touch, or make a digital copy then I should be able to do that and without looking over my shoulder.

Trevor

 

Sources:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/03/intel-to-launch-insider-movie-service-with-1080p-content-widi-2/

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1934536/intels-sandy-bridge-sucks-hollywood-drm

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/12/18/2230221/Intels-Sandy-Bridge-Processor-Has-a-Kill-Switch?from=rss

http://www.techspot.com/news/41643-intels-sandy-bridge-processors-have-a-remote-kill-switch.html

Posted via email from The OptionKey Blog