Last few weeks saw many Pokémon Go accounts being permanently banned. However, Niantic is now reversing its ban on some of those accounts. The accounts were terminated for violating the company's terms of service. Such violations included the use of third-party mapping tools to find Pokémon.
Pokémon Go does not allow the use of outside tools. Nonetheless, the success of the game has spawned various third party apps, designed to aid the players. According to The Verge, Niantic responded to this development by cutting access to all unofficial apps. Later, it started banning the accounts found guilty of using such apps.
In its official blog, Niantic explained that the ban was served to protect the "integrity of the game and the health of our servers." The company stated that various mapping apps are collecting sensitive user info in the stealth mode. "These apps can have an effect similar to DDoS attacks on our servers," Niantic said.
Niantic has now made some changes to its infrastructure, enabling it to reverse its ban on some of the blacklisted accounts. The company emphasized that the use of add-on maps is still prohibited and may lead to a ban. Niantic has preserved the ban on accounts found guilty of data mining. The company has also vowed to ban accounts found to be using additional apps for capturing Pokémon, deploying Gyms or battling.
Pokémon Go is reported to be seeing a decline in its user base. The company is now coming with new updates and features to entice players.