Want to become a Pokémon GO master? If you are, then Indonesia might not be the place for you — especially if you are in law enforcement.
Despite the game not yet being officially available in Indonesia, many have downloaded the game through illegal means and have joined the frenzy for the game, taking to the streets to hunt down and capture various Pokémon wherever they hide.
As such, one would think that Indonesian officials would be concerned by the fact that their officers have downloaded the game illegally, or that, in other places in the world, the game has been blamed for complaints, traffic violations and a wave of crimes. However, for Indonesian officials, Pokémon GO has something far more dangerous under its hood: the potential for spying.
"Spying can come in different forms," said Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.
Zeroing in on the fact that the game uses a smartphone's satellite location and camera to operate, officials worry that the game can be used for spying and thus have banned all police from playing the game while on duty, with a similar ban coming to military personnel as they work to protect high-security sites.
Of course, the order didn't come solely due to fears of spying; it's also the product of ensuring that law enforcement professionals are alert and able to consistently do their jobs.
"We are worried that police officers may become addicted and we don't want that because a police officer's duty is to serve the public. The job requires hard work and concentration," said national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.
However, while this ban only affects those in law enforcement who are on duty, there is one place where no one can play Pokémon GO no matter what: the presidential palace.
Amusingly enough, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Agung said last week that he had captured a number of Pokémon at the palace. However, officials have deemed the game a security risk, and as of Wednesday, July 20, printed warnings that say: "Playing or hunting Pokémon prohibited in the palace area" have been posted all around the palace complex in Jakarta.
"This is the office of the president, not a playground," said Bey Machmuddin, chief of the palace's press bureau.
All of this comes after a Frenchman was briefly detained after he trespassed on a military base in a West Java town while on the hunt for Pokémon.
