[zeffr]

It's a free game everyone.

When something is free to play, and involves you walking around with geo services and a camera on, you and your data are the product.

This is just massive data collection disguised as a video game.

[MBCook]

No, they make their money through IAPs.

No one signed up to let Niantic read their email in exchange for free items.

[zeffr]

Maybe no one on HN or in your circle of friends, but I think you massively overestimate the average user's sense of data protection.

[MBCook]

I'm willing to bet if you put a warning that said "This app will read your email" a ton of people would react. Not 100%, but a ton.

Especially parents.

[chrisdbaldwin]

Okay. They are also selling user data.

[Mtinie]

While that may be true, it isn't relevant to the conversation about how deep into the permissions forest the app is reaching.

Pokemon Go can collect the bunches of the data it wants without having admin-level access to their users' Google accounts.