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Govt to keep an eye on Pokémon Go
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Pokémon frenzy: Members of Pokémon Go Indonesia play the wildly popular mobile game at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Sunday. Players roam the real world looking for cartoon monsters. (JP/Donny Fernando)
T
he government will closely monitor the wildly popular game Pokémon Go amid concerns that it could pose a serious threat to national security, a senior minister has said.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Wednesday that the government was looking into the possibility that Pokémon Go could be used as a surveillance tool to detect secretive information through the use of GPS and smartphone cameras.
"This Pokémon Go might be a problem in the future, so we are keeping an eye on the game right now," Luhut said.
(Read also : State Palace bans Pokémon Go)
Previously, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu warned Pokémon Go players that they might have unknowingly captured secretive information for foreign countries while using their phones to collect virtual creatures in the augmented reality game.
The military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) Cyber Taskforce has also advised people not to play the game in strategic locations, especially on military bases, to avoid intelligence information being leaked to foreign intelligence bodies.
The State Palace issued a ban on Wednesday to stop all staff and guests hunting Pokémon creatures at the Palace, in order to safeguard and maintain security at the President's residence and office. (ary)
