Live data from Hacker News

Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

dronexl.co

141–150 of 334 posts

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#141
post #140

The moral question is if you've unknowingly contributed to war, death and destruction, or if you are actually helping drones to accurately find real targets – which hopefully are not innocent civilians but legitimate military targets.

At this point is there really a difference between death and destruction and "legitimate" military target? It's a slippery slope

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#142

As someone who works in this space, the headline is a bit of a stretch. The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?). The military contractor (Vantar/Maxar) in question basically admits so but just "reserves the right" to use the data which is the political battle line ala Claude and DoD. This is mostly an ideological battle.

As a Pokemon go player, I would say it isn't. There's even a Pokemon exclusive to the middle east region: sandstorm pattern Vivillion. Lots of players there.

Obtaining it never means having to scan anything at any time.

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#143

As someone who works in this space, the headline is a bit of a stretch. The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?). The military contractor (Vantar/Maxar) in question basically admits so but just "reserves the right" to use the data which is the political battle line ala Claude and DoD. This is mostly an ideological battle.

> The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?).

But presumably the images/models at ground level can be used to train/improve the general performance of Vantor's aerial (satelite based) navigation system so it works better elsewhere?

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#144
I'm not sure this is a real problem. Google/Apple already has the world mapped out thanks to our photos in the cloud, and we literally let Tesla and others drive cars everywhere recording everything.

Pokemon Go does not really incentivises this activity. We get a poffin... Nice to have but does not worth the hassle of scanning and looking stupid on the street.

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure did.. it’s called Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card).

And before that, The Last Starfighter

And before that: "The book originated as a short story of the same name, published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact."[1]

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#146
post #98

Kids training drones that will kill other kids. There is a level of evilness on that difficult to grasp. What kind of society puts that burthen on their own children? Inequality has given power to the few deranged and depraved. No ethics, no morality, just self gratification and excess.

In the conservative worldview, competition is fair dinkem, so the setting for these businesses is just. That's how we got here.

Also in that worldview, we have the responsibility to defend innocent children. Let's if they can follow their own moral code and outlaw this surveillance to protect our kids.

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#148

As someone who works in this space, the headline is a bit of a stretch. The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?). The military contractor (Vantar/Maxar) in question basically admits so but just "reserves the right" to use the data which is the political battle line ala Claude and DoD. This is mostly an ideological battle.

> The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?). But presumably the images/models at ground level can be used to train/improve the general performance of Vantor's aerial (satelite based) navigation system so it works better elsewhere?

well the article writes AS IF the whole intention was to:

"get data for drone warfare" ...in 2021 (before the russian invasion...)

but did we even EXPECT drone warfare to influence the war THIS MUCH back then?

well not me -- I actually thought russia would beat the crap out of ukraine within a month (even after the failed spetsnaz attack on zelensky)

the article's assumptions only makes sense IF some people had time machines, or if CIA has some know-everything future prophet

(not to mention: drones need TOP TO BOTTOM view, not bottom-to-top view)

anyway, my verdict: sensational yellow journal article, nothing more/less

Re: Pokémon Go Scans Trained the Navigation Tech for Military Drones

#150

As someone who works in this space, the headline is a bit of a stretch. The overlap in the locations of Pokemon Go Player data and any active Drone heavy theaters of war is a tiny sliver (or zero?). The military contractor (Vantar/Maxar) in question basically admits so but just "reserves the right" to use the data which is the political battle line ala Claude and DoD. This is mostly an ideological battle.

It's not like there's a moral high ground about not collaborating with the military. Unless you want to advantage America's adversaries, namely China, Putin's Russia and Iran's current regime. There's always this implicit, sometimes explicit, "war bad" childish political philosophy in posts like this. In reality war is a given and you have to be prepared to have the upper hand.
Post reply on HN