THE HAGUE, June 9. /TASS/. Billions of images collected by Pokemon Go mobile game players around the world could have been used to create a navigation system that later found military application, including drones and robotic platforms, the Trouw newspaper reports.
According to it, Niantic Spatial, a company based on the Pokemon Go developer, has received almost 30 billion environmental scans made by users of the game. Based on the data, a three-dimensional AI navigation module was trained, which helps determine your location even in the absence of a GPS signal.
At the end of 2025, Niantic Spatial set up a collaboration with America’s Vantor, which uses a visual positioning system (VPS) to navigate military drones, robotic platforms, vehicles, and other equipment in conditions of satellite signal suppression.
"Without the huge number of scans collected by all these players, the creation of such a system would never have happened so quickly," Jeroen van den Hoven, a technology expert, told the newspaper. According to him, the game's users "indirectly contributed to the military infrastructure," even without realizing it.
Vantor, in a comment from Trouw, rejected allegations of direct use of Pokemon Go data for military purposes, but did not specify whether the system designed for defense projects was trained based on information received from players. Niantic Spatial said that user scans were used to train an "early version" of the navigation model.
The newspaper notes that since 2021, Pokemon Go players have been able to voluntarily receive additional game bonuses for creating 360-degree video scans of the surrounding area. Users agreed to separate terms granting the company the right to transfer the collected materials to third parties.
Technology application
According to Trouw, visual positioning technology is considered a promising alternative to GPS navigation in the areas where satellite signals are absent or intentionally suppressed. According to the newspaper, such conditions are typical for the conflict zone in Ukraine, where electronic warfare and jamming of navigation signals are widely used.
The experts interviewed by the publication also draw attention to the risks to user privacy. For example, some participants in the game scanned not only streets and public spaces, but also their apartments, and Niantic Spatial expressed interest in expanding the database of such images.
The newspaper said that technologies created on the basis of user data are used not only by the military. In particular, Niantic Spatial cooperates with Coco Robotics, which uses similar solutions for navigation of autonomous courier robots. Experts urge the European authorities to strengthen control over the use of user data and limit the possibility of their further commercialization without informing the people properly.