Earlier this week, Pokemon GO received an update that added improvements to the game's friend feature. For example, players are now able to sort their friend list by name and even choose nicknames for their pals, which is both useful and just plain fun. Though, these aren't the only features that the update added and some fans are raising concerns that the game may have just introduced a major security issue.

The feature in question regarding the game's gifting process. The Pokemon GO update introduced the ability to see exactly where a player sent a gift from, highlighting the exact PokeStop on the map.  Previously, players would have access to limited information about where another player sent a gift from. They would get the name of the PokeStop but not its exact location, meaning that players would have to do a little bit of digging to find it if they really wanted to. But with the update, the location is pinpointed exactly.

The reason that this is being seen as a security risk is that it would allow a potential stalker - or any other unwanted person - to easily pinpoint someone's location. Since Pokemon GO launched, there has been no shortage of reports about crimes being committed in places where players frequent. In 2016, police alerted the public about a group of armed robbers who were using Pokemon GO to lure in the victims. The police department warned players about alerting strangers to their location; this new feature seems to be antithetical to that.

As players will only be sending gifts to those on their friends list, some may argue that this isn't such a big deal. It is inadvisable to add strangers as friends on Pokemon GO in the first place as by doing so, players will open themselves up to all sorts of invasions of privacy like those outlined above. Plus, the friendship feature and the benefits for making friends and sending them gifts (e.g Stardust discounts on Pokemon trades) are designed to reward actual friends, not random strangers aiming to wring rewards out of the system.

Pokemon GO developer Niantic may also argue that the new feature is useful for highlighting the many places in which its game is enjoyed. As the tweet above shows, it may even encourage some players to take a trip around the globe, visiting some of the Pokestops where their gifts have come from.

But others will argue that the feature isn't something that many fans were asking for and it feels like an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Not everyone will agree with that assessment but the fact that some are discussing it at all shows just how much of an impact the game's updates can have and just how careful Niantic has to be when introducing new features.

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS devices.

Source: Pokemon GO Hub