In New York, convicted sex offenders will soon no longer be able to play Pokémon GO.
According to US politicians, there is a connection between Pokémon GO and sex offenders. To ensure more safety, convicted sex offenders in the state of New York will not be allowed to play Pokémon GO in the future. The mechanics of the game pose a risk that children may be lured into unsafe areas, as they may want to go to a lure module, for example.
The danger is too great!
Approximately 3,000 sex offenders are currently on probation in the state of New York. New York Senators Jeffrey D. Klein and Diane Savino have noticed that many Pokémon, PokéStops, and gyms are located just “half a block” away from 100 different sex offenders. Based on this information, Andrew Cuomo wrote an open letter to Niantic, Google, and Apple, in which he offers to share the data of the different offenders with the companies. This data is intended to block the offenders so that they no longer have access to Pokémon GO and cannot play or use it as a tool.
Lure modules in Pokémon GO not only attract Pokémon but also other trainers. Using a lure module makes more wild Pokémon appear at a specific PokéStop for 30 minutes, which can be caught.
Already at the beginning of the Pokémon hype, there were robberies of Pokémon trainers in the USA using lure modules. Because these lure modules are highly sought after by players, prospective Pokémon trainers often stubbornly run to the modules instead of checking the surroundings first. In general, one should always assess the situation before approaching a lure module “blindly.” The danger is too great that someone could use this module to lure trainers instead of Pokémon.
“The safety of New York’s children is our top priority. As technology develops, we must ensure that it does not create new ways for predators to ambush their victims. These measures are safeguards for the players of these ‘augmented reality’ games and take away a tool from those who wish to harm children,” writes Andrew Cuomo.
