Panic Button - Agent Tracker

An agent on facebook has reported being followed for 30 miles at night. Other agents advise getting a gun and going to the Police.

Niantic could help by having a Panic Button (find a better name) that would copy to the clipboard player activity for the last X minutes near that person as they've moved around. Near might be 100 yards, or 1 mile. "Activity" might be collecting XM, hacking, recharging, or whatever pings with geo information Niantic store on their servers.

This would be able to be used to show movement across a map over time - I'm not sure what it might be pasted into, but the ideal outcome would be Strava's event tracking where you can see fellow athletes progress along a course at any point in time.

Even better would be to just give the agent a link which opens the map and shows the info - requiring the agent to login. Niantic would need to work out how to preserve the data if Police decided it was "evidence".

Now, the data would be useless after a First Saturday, or playing in a city centre at lunchtime, but a problem player would stand out over a 30 mile drive at night.

Police might struggle to understand the data but any evidence is better than nothing.

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Comments

  • That's one potential response.

    Another might be that we could just write an IITC plugin to do it for us (although Niantic have more data at their disposal).

    One of the things I like about Ingress is the number of women who play, I'd hate to see toxic players and Niantic's apathy drive them away.

  • ToxoplasmollyToxoplasmolly ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021

    Niantic could help by having a Panic Button (find a better name) that would copy to the clipboard player activity for the last X minutes near that person as they've moved around. Near might be 100 yards, or 1 mile. "Activity" might be collecting XM, hacking, recharging, or whatever pings with geo information Niantic store on their servers.

    This cuts both ways. Want to s.talk someone who's nearby with greater ease? Just tap this "panic" button for detailed info on their whereabouts!

    (Edit: Guess which word is censored by the forum's filters…)

  • KhatreKhatre ✭✭✭✭✭

    if he was playing, then following and destroying is a part of the game.

    If he wasn't playing he should get the car's plate and go to the police

  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭

    It's just a game bro

  • gazzas89gazzas89 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Would be too open for abuse

  • MirthmakerMirthmaker ✭✭✭✭

    Rides the wrong side of the line.

    Everyone has several agents of the opposite faction that you know by their actions to keep on a very short leash.

    As much as you really want to treat them the way an ice hockey defenseman does anyone who roughs up their goalie this is not the way to do it.

  • KonnTowerKonnTower ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yeah, not necessary at all. If you need a panic button in a video game for IRL things. It's time to stop playing video games. 911 is your panic button. If you're not utilizing it, it's not an emergency, just your nerves getting to you.


    There has been an uptick of players using COMM to make false accusations recently, so players can come to the forums or their local chats to say they're being harassed. Some sort of weak mental gymnastics to try and get people banned or punished in their communities for things that never happen.

  • edited July 2021

    This exists in the real world without Ingress. At one stage we used a panic button app as the Agent tracking system for players, until Glympse became a more scaleable option.

    People need to stop treating the real world like it's only a video game. The reasons don't matter. If someone is stalking you, contact local authorities. Take steps to ensure that friends and family know where you are. For example, Google Location Sharing can be set to always on for family members.

    If you feel unsafe, take steps. Whether you're walking home from work, or out playing Ingress.

    Life is not a game. Treat it like real life. It's not Niantic's job to keep you safe, that's on you. Any implementation they could do would only be a false sense of security.

  • edited July 2021

    One of the things I like about Ingress is the number of women who play, I'd hate to see toxic players and Niantic's apathy drive them away.

    But you're ok with your own apathy in expecting Niantic to fix the problems without taking more realistic and effective steps yourself. If you're worried about the women who play Ingress, talk to them, ask them how you can help.

    Don't assign work to someone else, while not taking any steps yourself.

    Even better would be to just give the agent a link which opens the map and shows the info - requiring the agent to login. Niantic would need to work out how to preserve the data if Police decided it was "evidence".

    Just an FYI, Niantic has your game log going back to 2015. Without even needing to be "evidence".

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021

    Some players **** and follow. It's protecting their turf and it can range from respectful following a fair distance behind, to comical and then to intimidating.

    If it's intimidating, stop play, go somewhere safe, (tip, go home only if it's the only option, you don't want to show them where you live).

    Other option is to pull over somewhere safe, lock the doors and call the police and wait for them to arrive.

    Comical one was we were being tailed, so we hopped on a roundabout, and just circled. They kept following, we must have done 6-7 loops before they broke off. My wife and I were laughing hysterically.

    Advising ppl to carry a gun or other weapon is imho terrible advice.

  • VenomousToadVenomousToad ✭✭✭✭✭

    Following and tailgating players happens a lot in my area. It could be just a few miles to over twenty miles of tailgating. Even blocking people in parking spots to laugh at them. We just tell our players to start calling the police when it happens. No reason to report to Niantic because they won't do anything about it. With enough reports to police someone can get a protection order against them. Sadly it has come to this. People just end up quiting. Players get tired of the intimidation. It's a great strategy to eliminate your competition but a terrible way to treat people.

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