Niantic Spatial says Pokemon GO player scan data is not being shared with Vantor, pushing back after Dutch outlet Trouw connected old AR scanning uploads from Niantic games to military drone positioning technology.
The controversy centers on a partnership between Niantic Spatial and Vantor, an intelligence and spatial technology company that works in defense. Niantic Spatial and Vantor announced the partnership in December 2025 as a way to build a shared positioning system for air and ground devices in places where GPS is jammed, spoofed or unavailable. The official announcement says the system can connect autonomous drones, vehicles, AR glasses and other field assets through live video feeds.
That description drew fresh scrutiny because Pokemon GO previously let players record real-world video around PokeStops through optional AR scanning tasks. Niantic Spatial told IGN that the Vantor deal does not include sharing those scans.
"While we have an agreement with Vantor, announced last December, it is still in its very early stages, and sharing this data is not part of the agreement," a Niantic Spatial spokesperson said. "We are committed to working with all of our customers and partners to ensure that Niantic Spatial products are used in a responsible manner that upholds human rights and ethical principles."
Pokemon GO scans are part of a wider data debate
Niantic Spatial is not denying that ground scans from Niantic games helped train its own spatial models. The company told IGN that ground scans were one component used for real-world foundation models, but described the models as the result of training rather than copies of the underlying scan files.
That distinction is the heart of the story. Pokemon GO players were not operating drones or building military software, but some of the game’s optional scanning data fed into technology that now sits near defense and public-sector use cases. Niantic Spatial’s public material for its Visual Positioning System says the technology uses ground, aerial and map data to help devices localize themselves when GPS is unreliable.
In a March 2026 Niantic Spatial post about GPS-denied operations, the company said early testing that integrated Niantic Spatial’s VPS with Vantor terrain data and Raptor software had reduced positioning error by up to 70%, down to roughly 1.5 meters in many scenarios. That post also described possible users as drones, robots, soldier-borne devices and AR headsets.
Pokemon GO no longer shares data with Niantic Spatial
Pokemon GO is now in a different corporate setup than when AR scanning was active. Niantic sold its games business, including Pokemon GO, to Scopely, while Niantic Spatial remained separate. According to IGN’s report, Pokemon GO data is no longer shared with Niantic Spatial as part of that transition, and AR scanning was removed from Pokemon GO earlier this month.
The company also said the old AR scans were voluntary and tied to the terms and privacy policies in effect when players submitted them. That does not erase the concern players may have about long-tail data use, especially when a mobile game feature is later discussed alongside defense technology, but it narrows the current claim: Niantic Spatial says Vantor is not receiving the underlying Pokemon GO scan data.
For Pokemon GO players, the immediate gameplay impact is limited because the AR scanning feature has already been removed. The bigger issue is trust around location-based games, AR mapping and how optional data collection can be repurposed years after players first uploaded it.