With all the Pokémon lure parties happening right now, we might as well add fuel to the fiery craziness that is Pokémon Go with some more bizarre news about the game.
According to a report by Agence France-Press, through GMA News Online, US Defense Department bigwigs on Friday said employees should not play the game with their government-issued smartphones. Well, yeah?
“You can imagine a number of reasons [why] that wouldn’t necessarily be a prudent thing to do,” said Pentagon deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge. “Aside from any security concerns, I think taxpayers would appreciate government phones being used for government business,” he added.
Military installations have warned troops who double as Pokémon trainers about the possible implications of playing the game on bases, especially near runways. Wouldn’t want to trip over a missile and blow off half the hangar, or something. Good call, guys. Good call.
In another report, CNN also confirmed Pentagon’s dislike for the game, stating that Pentagon workers and contractors were given a reminder to keep Pokémon Go off their work phones amidst spying fears. Whoa, spying! That’s natural, given the game’s built-in GPS gameplay mechanism.
The Pentagon remarked that staff can still play the game on their personal phones. Whew.
“There is no Poké-ban at the Pentagon. I can tell you Pokémon Go, Poke Radar, and PokeFinder apps are not on the list of ‘Approved’ apps for government furnished devices,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cdr. Patrick Evans said on Friday. “As always, we encourage our employees to use sound judgment when using their personal or private devices at and away from work,” he added.
This isn’t the first time Pokémon Go has irked officials at Washington. Last month, a State Department spokesman called out a reporter for playing the game during a briefing on anti-ISIS coalition activities. Serious business, folks.
