Bill Would Ban Massachusetts Sex Offenders from Playing Pokémon GO

A proposed bill would restrict convicted sex offenders' use of the wildly popular Pokémon GO app, and similar games, in a bid to close gaps in public safety potentially created by the new technology.

Boston's Public Garden is testament to the game's popularity where, any given night, Pokémon GO players can be seen clustering around George Washington's horseback monument, lit by the glow of their smart phones.

Convicted sex offenders are often already banned from many such public spaces where children might be present, including playgrounds and schools. But other businesses and historic markers used as check-ins by the game may not be included.

The bill, first reported by State House News Service, instructs Massachusetts' Sex Offender Registry Board to develop regulations to "prohibit the use of location based augmented reality multiplayer games by sex offenders." By that, of course, it means Pokemon GO, but also covers any similar future games it may spawn.

"The unique game and its playing features present the possibility that potential sex offenders could use the features of the game to commit crimes against children," the bill's author, Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner), said in a press release.

He's not the first to have that thought.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered state corrections authorities to restrict sex offenders under community supervision from using Pokémon GO and similar games.

The augmented reality app overlays its action on the surrounding terrain via mobile phone camera, and sources its hot spots using GPS tracking. Those spots can be historical markers, public buildings and other landmarks.

>> Photo by Eduardo Woo via Flickr/Creative Commons