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IDF bans Pokemon Go on bases over security fears

Military fears popular game could compromise sensitive information

Pokemon Go. (YouTube screenshot)
Pokemon Go. (YouTube screenshot)

The Israeli military said it was banning soldiers from playing the popular mobile phone game Pokemon Go on Israeli military bases due to security concerns.

The military said on Monday that it has instructed soldiers and officers that the game activates cellphone cameras and location services, and could leak sensitive information like army base locations and photographs of the bases.

The military is also concerned that soldiers may download a fake application that impersonates Pokemon Go but could leak information from their phones.

Israel’s emergency rescue service Magen David Adom has also issued a warning about Pokemon Go, saying Israelis have suffered moderate injuries while playing the game.

An Israeli soldier makes a phone call during a rest period in Sderot near his tank. December 28, 2008. (Photo credit: Miriam Alster / Flash90)
An Israeli soldier makes a phone call in Sderot near his tank. December 28, 2008. (Miriam Alster / Flash90)

Players roam through the physical world holding up their phones and searching for critters that appear on the screen.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

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