St. Cloud Abuse Update 7

They're back at it again!

Because my last few reports had a relatively small number of portals, I was hopeful that the abuse was beginning to end and effective action might have finally been taken. It seems that unfortunately that is not the case as the group behind this abuse is back to working in full force. This time around, I was able to find over 50 abusive portals for this report. I would imagine that the uptick in abuse is based on the Ingress alt accounts that have been observed in the area clearly operating for the purpose of Wayfarer.

This round of reporting includes all kinds of abuse, such as nominations on private residential property and schools, nominations being excessively moved miles away from their location during review (cc @NianticDanbocat, are you still investigating this?), blatantly ineligible things like a pond aerator fountain getting approved, previously removed wayspots getting resubmitted and reapproved, etc. It also includes me revisiting a few abusive portals that Niantic previously neglected to remove, with some new evidence such as that pesky "conservation sign".

The full list of abusive wayspots can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zQ9gUO2nM4oD5lMhV2vsplVMZdPgqMCtv_JN3JpzmhY/edit?usp=sharing


I'd also like to share a couple other things, of note:

In this abuse thread about Winter Garden, which I am fairly confident is linked to St. Cloud anyways, a user posted a couple comments praising the abuse in St. Cloud. One of the comments is now gone, but the other is still there. That needs to be fully investigated if it hasn't been already.


Additionally, a few days ago, a user known to be deeply involved with the St. Cloud abuse with a rampant number of alt accounts, and who was known to have received punishment on at least some of them, sent me the following message/picture in what I can only imagine was a failed attempt to try to taunt me and rub in the fact that they are still reviewing:

Note that they themselves blurred out their own account identifying information (the circle in the top right), in what was likely an attempt to help prevent the account from being identified, however I would highly encourage Niantic to look at the accounts that reviewed the "Promenade Footbridge" submission at 252 New York Ave, Dunedin, FL 34698, USA, and correlate the reviewers of that nomination to those involved with St. Cloud. This person should be banned from reviewing.


Lastly, I imagine this will likely be my last St. Cloud abuse report on this forum prior to Niantic launching the new abuse reporting form (assuming they actually meet the deadline this time and the form is actually effective). I know that following the St. Cloud abuse has been important to many of you, and that the severity and continuing extent of the issue is commonly used as an example of why abuse needs to be taken much more seriously. I know many people are eager to see how and if Niantic resolves it, and likely especially how they will handle it with the new reporting system. Just to keep the community informed, I will still make a post some time in the future with how combatting the abuse is going, but likely that wont be for a while. Thank you to everyone who has provided support in unraveling this issue over the past 9 months, and shamelessly, make sure to throw my proposed AMA question some likes if you would like to see Niantic truly acknowledge this type of issue.

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Comments

  • Tagtheone-PGOTagtheone-PGO Posts: 26 ✭✭

    Not that’s it’s in my area but north lake park is a community. You truly believe that a small elementary school has its own YMCA and all of those amenities that you listed? That is a public use for the community YMCA most of that stuff that you listed is just community amenities it doesn’t belong to the elementary school it’s for public use. Lol I wish our schools had that kind of tax dollars to spend

  • Tagtheone-PGOTagtheone-PGO Posts: 26 ✭✭

    This is the community

  • Tagtheone-PGOTagtheone-PGO Posts: 26 ✭✭

    Man it’s not even in my county. Just seems like the reports are getting smaller because you’re grasping at straws. I’ll truly miss reading your long winded reports lol

  • LiveFreeorCatch-PGOLiveFreeorCatch-PGO Posts: 46 ✭✭
    edited September 2021

    Real question



    from NinaticCasey in June 2020

    “Agree with @NicoSolheim-ING here, so long as it's a separate location from the church itself and is not on the grounds of a school or daycare it could be an eligible nomination”.


    the word “could use” is used to state as an eligible nomination To me that is a little confusing. I read it as if there is a separate enterance or separate building Really asking for clarification

    Post edited by LiveFreeorCatch-PGO on
  • LiveFreeorCatch-PGOLiveFreeorCatch-PGO Posts: 46 ✭✭
    edited September 2021


    @NianticGiffard you denied this appeal for removal and Grace Luthern, North Lake amenities and other churches fall under this same classification. This was from August this year Has it changed?

    Post edited by LiveFreeorCatch-PGO on
  • AisforAndis-INGAisforAndis-ING Posts: 1,072 Ambassador

    https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/9512/wayfarer-3-1-release-notes-new-criteria-darkmode/p1

    Clarifications from prior to November 2020 are invalid.

    Furthermore, I would highly encourage you to keep my thread on topic, or you may wind up banned like many of your cohorts who have attempted to derail my threads before you. It is very clear that those of you from the St. Cloud community brigade my reports every time they occur. Believe it or not, it's not a good look.

    If you want clarification about other threads, appeals, and situations, the place to seek that would be on those threads.

    The place in question is very clearly an elementary school, per their own website:

    There is also literally no way to argue against the fact that the POIs there are abused locations. They deserve to be removed.

  • I’ll just ask here it will be discussed well. Also please do not threaten me. This is a public forum and let’s please treat all with respect and kindness.

    as I always said if Niantic deems what you have reported for removal founded. That is the decision.

    August 2021 was from this year and @NianticGiffard denied something that was similar. You have portals on your list that., to me are very similar. Thus the clairifaction

  • jaimelee81-PGOjaimelee81-PGO Posts: 158 ✭✭✭

    I would like to comment on a few things that strike me as odd (not a comprehensive list, just the most egregious

    1)You would like niantic to “fully investigate” a comment that a user made in the forum? Investigate what exactly? And for what purpose

    2) You stated that a user was known to have received punishments. How on earth would you know that? I thought Niantic was committed to keeping users information private

    3) You encourage niantic to “look at the accounts” that reviewed a particular submission. So, you would like niantic to look at probably hundreds of accounts that reviewed a submission? (Of course, we can’t know an exact number since the numbers are never publicized) I sure hope I wasn’t one of those accounts that reviewed that submission. But then again, I’m not sure what, exactly, niantic would be looking for here.

    4) Lastly, I find it quite humorous that you call bike racks “mass produced” since I believe that it is fairly well known that you love to submit bike racks.

  • jaimelee81-PGOjaimelee81-PGO Posts: 158 ✭✭✭

    Also I hope you enjoyed your trip to Saint Cloud and took it advantage of all the cultural opportunities. We have lots of parks and playgrounds and historic buildings to explore.

  • tehstone-INGtehstone-ING Posts: 1,154 Ambassador

    private/anonymous reporting can't come soon enough. funny seeing all the comments questioning everything about this every time Andi posts from accounts we never see here otherwise. maybe this time Niantic will take stricter action against those involved or find ways to stop literally the same bad behavior on the same locations from happening again.

  • AisforAndis-INGAisforAndis-ING Posts: 1,072 Ambassador

    Make sure to take a peek at the people who decided it would be smart to brigade this thread in defense of the abuse as well. They don't have a place on this forum. Thanks for escalating this. 🙏

  • AisforAndis-INGAisforAndis-ING Posts: 1,072 Ambassador

    Its actually been more than 7. There, was the original post, and there have now been 7 updates on top of that. There was also the report on Lebanon, MO which was directly related (same person who moved), and then the 2 Winter Garden reports that also are likely related. So somewhere between 8 and 11 depending on which way you look at it.

  • AisforAndis-INGAisforAndis-ING Posts: 1,072 Ambassador

    As stated before, whether or not Niantic determines that the POIs aren't suitable due to K-12, almost every POI related to facility is deliberately misplaced outside of it. That is abuse by itself. If the POIs were valid and not subject to K-12, the fact that these people intentionally placed the POIs in the wrong place outside of the facility yet they claim the facility is openly accessible it extremely questionable as well.

  • AisforAndis-INGAisforAndis-ING Posts: 1,072 Ambassador
    edited September 2021
  • aleprj-INGaleprj-ING Posts: 565 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It seems the first four (and maybe a few other, as the "Grace Lutheran Church") were removed. All the rest is still there.

  • Rodensteiner-PGORodensteiner-PGO Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭✭✭

    So, they Take another one of their Accounts and continue from there.

    This needs to be taken Care of by people that have experience in this situations.

    Why Not make a Phone call to those people? Or send Them a Letter by an attorney.

    Heck, i would even send an offical that Talks to Them in Person.

  • Hello @AisforAndis-ING! We have reviewed the report and have taken action on the 33 Wayspots and 6 Wayfinders in accordance with our policies. While we are unable to discuss our actions in detail to protect the submitter’s privacy, they may include, but are not limited to, sending a warning message, placing restrictions on their Wayfarer, Pokémon GO, or Ingress account, putting their account on probation, or placing a temporary or permanent suspension on their Wayfarer, Pokémon GO or Ingress account.

    However, due to insufficient evidence, we’re unable to take action on the Wayspots "Ball Chapel Bell, Crosses Under Trees, Church Fountain, Sharing Library, Pavilion For Little League Field, The Gatherings Bocce Court, The Gatherings Fire Pit, Purple seahorse, Eagle Creek Pavilion, Information Board At Turtle Creek". If you have additional evidence like the geotagged images of the current location of the Wayspot or the actual location of the object, please resubmit with additional information and we’ll take another look.

    Also, based on our research, we can confirm that the Wayspots "Ashley Oaks Information Board, North Lake Park Tennis Courts, Saint Cloud Little Free Library, Saint Cloud Fire Department, French Soldier guarding Entrance of Belle Vie, Decorative Bike Rack, Bike Design Bike Rack, Conservation Area Educational Sign, Blessing Box, Pots Of Sunshine, Pavilion A, Pavilion B, Godwin Park Pavilion, Antique Plow at a Catfish Place, Eagle Creek Time, Basketball Court Narcoosse Rd, Occasional Alligator, Sunbrooke Park, Mild, Hot, Diablo, Fire! Mural " are at their correct locations and it does not require any adjustments at this time.

  • I convey my apologies if according to you the actions taken were not satisfactory. The team had analyzed all the parameters and evaluated the evidence while taking the decisions.

    I also appreciate you for sharing more information on the Wayspots, this will definitely help the team for their scrutiny and take appropriate actions. I'll write back here once the investigation has been conducted.

This discussion has been closed.