Vantor
Vantor business and news from across the web.
Latest coverage
The Sunday Papers
This article rounds up several gaming-related news items and discussions. It covers how Pokémon Go data might be used for military drone training, developers discussing the creation of discovery in games, concerns about generative AI's impact on the tech industry, and an oral history of the game Spore. Additionally, it touches on gamification and data collection in relation to word puzzles and a review of C. Thi Nguyen's book 'The Score'.
Pokémon GO scan controversy resurfaces after Niantic Spatial defense partnership
Concerns have resurfaced regarding Niantic's use of player-scanned data from Pokémon GO, following a partnership between its geospatial division, Niantic Spatial, and defense technology company Vantor. While no direct evidence links Pokémon GO scan data to military systems, Niantic Spatial's Visual Positioning System, trained on billions of player scans, is being integrated into navigation technology for GPS-denied environments, raising ethical questions about the repurposing of consumer-generated data for potential defense applications.
Pokémon Go data was used to help train AI systems being developed for military drones
Data collected from the mobile game Pokémon Go is being used to train AI systems for military drones. Niantic Spatial, a division formed after Savvy Games Group acquired Niantic's gaming business, partnered with Vantor to develop a positioning solution for GPS-denied environments, utilizing ground scans from Pokémon Go as part of the AI training data. This development raises ethical concerns about the indirect contribution of players to military applications.
Dutch journalists show Pokemon Go player data are being used for military drone software
Dutch journalists have reported that data collected from Pokemon Go players, amounting to approximately 30 billion area scans since 2021, is allegedly being used by Niantic Spatial and Vantor to develop software for military drones. Vantor's software suite, Vantor Raptor, utilizes visual positioning systems to enable drone operation during electronic countermeasures, with a partnership announced in December 2025 to ensure functionality during GPS unavailability. Niantic, which sold Pokemon Go and its Niantic Spatial studio to Scopely in 2025, has a history of privacy controversies.
Report: Pokemon Go video scans may have been used for AI drone training
A report indicates that scans made by Pokémon Go players may have been sold to a military drone technology company, Vantor, through Niantic Spatial. These video scans are reportedly used to train a 3D navigation system for drones and robots, though Vantor denies using Pokémon Go data directly. Niantic stated that player data has not been sold and that their products are used responsibly.
