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Pokemon Go Player Data Allegedly Used to Train US Military AI Drones

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Data from millions of Pokemon Go players may have been used to train U.S. military AI drones for navigation in GPS-denied environments.
  • Niantic collected over 30 billion images and location scans, developing a Visual Positioning System (VPS) that helps AI map the real world.
  • Niantic Spatial partnered with defense contractor Vantor, raising concerns among digital rights advocates about the use of civilian data for military purposes.

Data collected from millions of Pokemon Go players has reportedly been used to train U.S. military artificial intelligence (AI) drones. The technology aims to enhance drone navigation in war zones, particularly when GPS signals are unavailable or jammed.

From a mobile game to the battlefield. Initially, players scanned the physical world through mobile games, then Niantic Spatial processed these scans into 3D maps that allow machines to determine their location through vision when satellite signals are unavailable.

— DroneXL reportExplaining the transition of Niantic's technology from gaming to military applications.

Pokemon Go, launched in 2016, allows players to find and capture virtual creatures in real-world locations. By 2021, the game introduced a feature enabling players to scan specific buildings and locations via PokeStops, reportedly yielding over 30 billion images and location scans. Niantic leveraged this data to develop its Visual Positioning System (VPS), which helps AI understand and map physical spaces.

The partnership aims to enable drones to navigate and coordinate with precision in areas without GPS signals, targeting key weaknesses in modern operations such as GPS unavailability, signal spoofing, and jamming.

— Niantic SpatialDescribing the goals of the partnership with Vantor.

This technology, further developed by Niantic Spatial, a subsidiary focused on spatial mapping and AI systems for autonomous machines, has found a potential military application. According to DroneXL, a camera-based navigation model was adopted by U.S. defense contractors for military drones and robots. Niantic Spatial announced a partnership with defense company Vantor in December 2025 to enable drones to navigate and coordinate precisely in areas without GPS signals, addressing weaknesses like GPS unavailability, spoofing, and jamming.

The data collection followed the terms of service and privacy policy in effect at the time.

— Niantic Spatial spokespersonAddressing concerns about the legality and user consent for data collection.

Niantic Spatial's spokesperson stated that the data collection followed its terms of service and privacy policy, with users voluntarily submitting AR scans when using the feature. However, the use of civilian data for military objectives has sparked concern. Tom Sulston of Digital Rights Watch described the practice as worrying, noting that most users do not read lengthy terms and conditions.

This practice is worrying because the vast majority of users do not read the long terms and conditions documents.

— Tom SulstonExpressing concern over the use of civilian data for military purposes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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