This Is A US Government-Sponsored Report On Pokémon Go

Remember Pokémon Go? This State Department advisory board does and wants to warn businesses about its dangers.

By
Hayes Brown
by Hayes Brown

BuzzFeed News World Editor

Remember the halcyon days of yore, also known as July, when literally everyone in the world and their mom was playing Pokémon Go? Ah, those were the days. But alas...the world appears to have moved on.

Pedro Armestre / AFP / Getty Images

You know who hasn't forgotten the game, though? The State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), that's who.

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OSAC is made up of mix of US companies —  as varied as Raytheon and the Walt Disney Company — and US government agencies, advising its constituencies on security best practices. And Pokémon Go, they determined, fits the bill as a potential threat.

In a report posted on Monday titled "Pokémon GO...Away?", OSAC tries to inform the reader about just what the hell Pokémon Go is and how to tell a Pokémon Trainer from a Random Creep who is spying on things.

Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty Images

"[W]hile most locations may have random Pokémon creatures appear, causing players to walk by and then walk on, there are certain locations [...] where players may linger and congregate longer than security personnel may desire," the report painstakingly explains. "These locations, known as PokéStops and Gyms, encourage interaction among players, and often result in actions that might otherwise be associated with loitering or surveillance."

"Because the game itself is free to download, it has attracted not only a massive number of players, but a wide variety as well, making it difficult to pinpoint a specific type of player based on usual demographic data such as age or gender," the report laments.

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STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP / Getty Images

But fear not, titans of industry, OSAC has put together some ~helpful hints~ on how to spot members of Team Rocket. By which we mean spies.

osac.gov

"An individual actively catching a Pokémon will likely use two hands, one to hold the phone and one to play the game, and it should take no more than a minute or so," the report warns. So be wary.

The report also teaches businesses and government agencies alike how to request that Pokéstops be removed from their premises and lists some places that have banned the game entirely.

Philippe Huguen / AFP / Getty Images

So, many thanks to the people/intern at the State Department who compiled this VITAL KNOWLEDGE for the people at Microsoft and Boeing.

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