Pokémon No: Sex Offenders in New York Banned From Playing Popular 'Reality' Game

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered state corrections authorities to restrict sex offenders under community supervision from using Pokémon Go and similar games, the governor announced in a press release.

Cuomo also sent a letter to Niantic Inc., the company that created the popular augmented reality game, requesting its assistance in prohibiting dangerous sexual offenders from playing the game.

"The Department Corrections and Community Supervision has imposed a new condition of parole for sex offenders under community supervision that will prohibit them from downloading, accessing, or otherwise engaging in any Internet enabled gaming activities, including Pokémon GO," the press release said.

The governor has also reached out to the Department of Criminal Justice Services to provide Niantic with the most updated information of offenders on the sex offender registry. The department will also contact Apple and Google to inform them of the public safety concerns and work with them to enhance user safety.

The move was motivated by a recent report from senators Jeffrey D. Klein and Diane Savino that demonstrated children playing the game have unknowingly been steered to locations in close proximity to, or even at, sex offender residences.

The report titled, “Protecting Our Children: How Pokémon Go and Augmented Reality Games Expose Children To Sex Offenders,” found that Pokémon appeared in front of Level 2 or 3 sex offenders’ homes 57 percent of the time; Pokéstops or Gyms were located within a half-block of convicted pedophiles’ residences 59 percent of the time; and a Pokémon-related item appeared near a high-level sex offender's residences 73 percent of the time.

The restrictions will apply to nearly 3,000 Level 1, 2 and 3 sex offenders currently on parole. Authorities will also be providing guidance to county probation offices and recommend the adoption of the policy.

“Protecting New York’s children is priority number one and, as technology evolves, we must ensure these advances don't become new avenues for dangerous predators to prey on new victims," Cuomo said in the press release. "These actions will provide safeguards for the players of these augmented reality games and help take one more tool away from those seeking to do harm to our children."

See Cuomo's full letter to Niantic, Inc. here.

Photo/Eduardo Woo via Flickr Creative Commons