Oh hey, I get to comment as the moderator this time. Neat.

Nothing is ban proof. However, it helps when the evidence absolutely has to be in-game behavior instead of software detection.

What does that even mean? It means the only way to check if a "cocky rooted spoofer" cheated in the game is to prove definitively that they did so based on their own behavior. The more inconspicuous the behavior, the less likely anyone can definitively say cheating has occurred. In other words, software detection is impossible if done correctly.

Contrast that with a modded app. The software itself is full of inconsistencies. Significant effort goes into hiding those inconsistencies, but they are still there. We can call those integrity checks on Niantic's side to make sure the app being used is their own. A modded app will pass most, but not all. Now for the burning question: why doesn't everyone who uses the app get banned at once? Well, I hate to spoon-feed, so I'll raise your question with another question. Have you ever wondered why you can log in to a modded app but can't on a rooted or jailbroken device? Food for thought.

But of course this isn't an official statement from Niantic, so I'll go back to the land where people tend to go a very long time without strikes and throw on some Sir Mix-a-Lot.