How Pokémon Go became entangled in international espionage

'Zero evidence' augmented reality app was ever used for spying by Western intelligence, despite state bans and claims that persist to this day

Photo collage of Pikachu mascots swarming in a security room full of CCTV monitors
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

An official from Belarus' defence ministry claimed that Pokémon Go was an instrument of Western intelligence and had been used to collect information about Belarusian military installations near Minsk, said Politico.

Speaking on a talk show, Alexander Ivanov said: "On the territory of the 50th air base, where the runway is, where there is a lot of military aviation equipment. That's where there were the most Pokémon. Is this not intelligence information?"

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