Fearing leaks, Israeli army bans Pokemon Go game

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM

The Israeli military has banned soldiers from playing the popular Pokemon Go game on military bases for fears of causing leaks of sensitive information.

According to a military statement, the order was issued this week because of concerns soldiers may have downloaded a non-official version of the game that siphons information from the user's phone.

The military feared location data and images of military bases could be leaked because the game requires access to the mobile phone's camera for the augmented reality technology that makes it appear as if the game's characters are in the player's direct surroundings.

The game requires players to move around in search of creatures called Pokemon to catch but Palestinians have used it to highlight restrictions on their freedom of movement, sharing images of Pokemon behind the West Bank separation wall, which many Palestinians cannot cross.

Palestinian Facebook user Abd Elrahman Salayma wrote in a widely-shared post: "Guys! There is a Pokemon down the street in the settlement...how the hell am i going to catch it? Any advice?"

Pokemon Go is based on a Japanese animation that was popular in the 1990s and broke iPhone manufacturer Apple's record for the most-downloaded mobile application last week.