Pokémon GO-es to Washington

While some are still hunting down Pikachu in the wild, the chief executive of the company behind the smartphone game Pokémon GO will be looking to save his own skin on Wednesday when he will field questions from a Senate panel on the technology the game uses because of privacy and security concerns.

Niantic Inc.'s chief executive, John Hanke, will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee as part of a hearing on augmented reality (AR) — technologies that add a digital layer to images taken from the real world. Augmented reality first grabbed the attention of lawmakers after the popularization of Pokémon GO because the mobile game relies on monitoring the locations of players and where they are pointing their phone cameras.

The Senate panel, however, also sees an opportunity for improving everyday life that goes well beyond gaming. The hearing will “examine the emergence, benefits, and implications” of the AR technology, according to the committee.

“Stretching far beyond entertainment, augmented reality is starting to be used today for transportation safety, scientific research, communication, and other real-world tasks,” said committee chairman, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, in a statement.

He added: “Expert witnesses testifying at the first congressional hearing on augmented reality will introduce to the committee the potential applications and policy considerations of this rapidly-developing technology.”

In July, Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota asked Niantic to provide him with information about the privacy features of the game.

"I am concerned about the extent to which Niantic may be unnecessarily collecting, using, and sharing ... personal information without their appropriate consent," Franken wrote.

He added: “As the augmented reality market evolves, I ask that you provide greater clarity on how Niantic is addressing issues of user privacy and security, particularly that of its younger players.”

Lawmakers in New York also raised concerns about the fact that key features in the game were placed too close to the homes of registered sex offenders, forcing Gov. Andrew Cuomo to take action by banning offenders from accessing the game.

"Software developers that operate mobile games like Pokémon GO should be entitled to the same information that is regularly shared with companies like Facebook, Apple and Microsoft," the governor said in an August letter.

Those providing testimony in Wednesday's hearing include:

• Brian Blau, research vice president, Gartner
• John Hanke, CEO, Niantic Inc. (developer of Pokémon GO)
• Brian Mullins, co-founder & CEO, DAQRI
• Stanley Pierre-Louis, general counsel, Entertainment Software Association
• Ryan Calo, assistant professor of law, University of Washington

Photo credit: Eduardo Woo via Flickr Commons