Week in Review: July 13, 2016

Gotta Catch ‘Em All - The Explosion of Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go was launched on July 6, 2016 and has quickly become the new gaming obsession for many in the US and around the world. The game, which allows players to travel around their neighborhood and city to find and capture different Pokemon, has been downloaded over 7.5 million times in the US. Pokemon Go now has more daily active users than Twitter and experiences more daily downloads than the popular dating application Tinder. While most new phone or computer games don’t require the physical movement of the user, Pokemon Go requires the user to actively explore their surroundings in order to find new Pokemon. This has caused random groups of users to meet up in places where a rare Pokemon might be found or a “training gym” might be located. The game's popularity, coupled with its requirement that players explore their surroundings, has led to a number of strange situations. A non-Pokemon Go user who owns a former church that has been remodeled into a residence posted on Buzzfeed his experience of coming to understand that his residence has been labeled as a “training gym” in the game, which has brought players lurking outside his home to “train at the gym.” A young woman in Wyoming found a dead body in a river while searching for nautical creatures. Other news is more concerning: the ability to see the location of other users has inspired criminals to find some unwitting victims and until yesterday, using Google to log in to the game provided Pokemon Go with full access—including the ability to read users’ email.

Iranian Man Imprisoned for Making Jokes on Facebook

Soheil Babadi has awaited the ruling for his appeal against his prison sentence for making offensive jokes on Facebook for almost a year in Iran. Babadi was imprisoned in October 2014 for posting satirical jokes on a Facebook page named “Campaign to Remind Shiites about Imam Naghi.” Imam Naghi is the tenth leader of Shia Muslims and is revered by Shia Muslims, especially in the largely Shia populated Iran. The 39-year-old engineer has been charged with a variety of crimes including “insulting the prophet Mohammad,” “insulting the supreme leader,” “propaganda against the state,” and “membership in a group planning to overthrow the state.” Babadi reports being interrogated while blindfolded in the corner of a room and put in solitary confinement for a period of 225 days. Babadi’s desire for a verdict on his appeal is particularly urgent because he needs treatment for his kidney problem, but officials refuse to allow him to go on medical furlough for treatment until he gets a final verdict. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran contends that authorities in charge of the case have deliberately prolonged Babadi’s prosecution.

Facebook Facing Possible Suicide Abetment Charge in Tamil Nadu, India

Authorities in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India are considering holding Facebook accountable for the suicide of a 21-year-old woman. On June 23rd Salem police in Tamil Nadu received a complaint from the woman’s father stating that someone had uploaded “morphed” nude photos of his daughter on Facebook. Five