Is FastPokeMap really safe to use for assistance in Pokémon GO?

Shortly after Pokémon GO was released, various third-party apps were developed to help players find Pokémon easier. One of the more popular apps is FastPokeMap, which gives a broad map of where various Pokemon have spawned in the world, as well as pinpointing exactly where they are.

However, Niantic, the company that developed Pokémon GO, has been issuing bans on users who have "unauthorized access".

"We continue to work to ensure the integrity of the game and the health of our servers by blocking unauthorized access and at times by banning offending accounts," Niantic said in a new statement. "This includes blocking bots, data scraping operations, and banning end user accounts associated with those activities. Some players may not have realized that some add-on map apps do more than just show you nearby Pokémon. Each end-user app can be used as a collection tool by the app creator, invisibly collecting and forwarding data to the app creator with or without the knowledge of the end user. These apps can have an effect similar to DDoS attacks on our servers. Because of this we have had to ban some accounts associated with using these add-on map tools, leading to confusion by some users about why they were banned. This is a small subset of the accounts banned."

Users worried that their use of FastPokeMap might result in a pan can rest easy. The creator of FastPokeMap tweeted recently that this new ban does not affect them.

The creator also advised that users simply avoid "anything that asks for login information" when searching elsewhere for hidden Pokémon.

Tags: Pokemon Go FastPokeMap