Okay, so there were some rumors going around that Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, was using the data collected from the game – things like the AR scans of our surroundings – to help train military drones. Apparently, this came about because of a partnership they have with a company called Vantor. But Niantic Spatial has now said that’s just not true – our Pokémon Go data isn’t being used for any military purposes. That’s a relief!
The issue started when Trouw, a Dutch news source, revealed that players of Pokémon Go might have unintentionally contributed to the development of an AI navigation system. According to the report, Niantic Spatial collected around 30 billion location scans from the game – used by players to earn rewards – to create a detailed 3D map for navigation in areas where GPS signals are weak. This technology could then be used by Vantor for applications like drones and military robots.
Niantic Spatial and Vantor are working together on a new system to help drones and other vehicles navigate in areas where GPS signals are weak, blocked, or intentionally disrupted. The partnership, revealed in December 2025, aims to provide reliable positioning even without a clear GPS connection, allowing these platforms to coordinate effectively.
Okay, so there was some talk online about Pokémon Go info potentially getting sent to a company called Vantor, but Niantic – the folks behind the game – have officially said that’s not happening. They’ve basically denied it straight up, which is good to hear!
Niantic says Pokemon Go scans are not part of Vantor deal
A Niantic Spatial representative explained to IGN that although they have a deal with Vantor, which was announced last December, it’s still new, and the agreement doesn’t include sharing this particular data.
The company announced a collaboration to create a system allowing sensors to pinpoint their location without relying on GPS. Niantic Spatial confirmed that it used ground scans to help develop its technology for understanding the real world, but emphasized that the resulting models aren’t simply copies of those scans and don’t allow access to the original data.
Niantic explained that the frequently mentioned “30 billion” number isn’t about 30 billion individual Pokémon Go scans. Instead, it represents the total number of video frames captured from scans across all of Niantic’s games, like Ingress and Pokémon Go.
Following the transfer of Pokémon Go to Scopely, data is no longer shared with Niantic’s Spatial platform. Additionally, the game’s augmented reality scanning feature has been removed, a change Niantic stated was planned as part of the handover to Scopely.
The report has brought up fresh worries about what happens to the information players share after they submit it. As one long-time Pokémon Go player, Floris De Hingh, told Trouw, “I was just playing a game.”
Niantic currently states that data collected from Pokémon Go scans is not being shared with Vantor and isn’t covered by their existing agreement.
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2026-06-12 19:19