Imagine my surprise when reading headline after headline last night that proclaimed from the rooftops, “Pokemon Go App Can Read Your Emails!” and similar.

Users who were downloading this Apple iOS game were surprised to learn that the permissions it requested to Gmail when logging in included full access to their account, yet it was still downloaded FIVE MILLION times.

I was ready to get on my soapbox about paying attention to the permissions of every app you install, not letting your children install apps unattended, and the need for app developers to get it together, when I read this…

Pokemon Go was Never Able to Read Your Emails 

Soooooooooooo, as it turns out, the message users received was not accurate. In this case, although it did claim to have “full account access,” this term did not actually mean FULL account access. So is there any lesson to be learned or is this a pointless blog post?

Yes, and maybe. We should always be wary of any app that requests “full account access” or full access to anything regardless of what it means! So my soapbox lessons still apply. More specifically, pay attention to the permissions of every app you install, don’t let your children (30 and under) install apps unattended and app makers need to get it together! I digress.

Another important thing to check from time to time is what currently has access to your account. If you are a Gmail user, you can go to “My Account–>Connected apps & sites.” You may be surprised to see what is listed there. Remove the items you no longer use.

In a similar vein, have you checked who is authorized to charge you via Paypal lately? It accumulates over the years. Check the list by clicking on the “Settings Gear –> Payments –> Preaproved Payments.” I am always surprised to find vendors listed that I approved for a single purchase in that list, and subscriptions that I cancelled many years ago. Clean it up before someone cleans out your bank account.

OH! And if you’re not a vendor, don’t do this voluntarily…

In summary, from Pokemon to Paypal, be careful out there. Have a good day!