In 2016 this wasn’t obviously happening/common knowledge. Remember to blame the perpetrators, not the victims.

In Russia people who warned about it were mocked as paranoid boomers. Today I wonder how many of them were paid or just encouraged to do the mocking.

Huh? You still don't know how this works, do you?

I mean, you can blame whoever you want, even Pikachu. Neither Niantic nor even one person cares who you blame.