"Pokémon GO provided sex offenders with a virtual road map to our children," Klein said in a statement.
"We know that pedophiles always seek new ways to lure victims and this new technology that entertains our kids, could also bring them close to dangerous individuals instead of Pokémon."
On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo followed up by ordering the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to limit sex offenders’ use of the game. Cuomo also wrote to the game’s developers asking them to seek out methods to stop predators from being able to use it.
“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 a statement.
Pokémon GO has become a massively popular global phenomenon — even surpassing Tinder in its first week. The game mixes a virtual world with reality as players search real world locations for the monsters.
One of the features of the game that is raising the most concern is that users can place a “lure” on a PokéStop to entice other players to the area with the promise of Pokémon being present. The feature has already been used to lure players to remote areas where they have been robbed at gunpoint in both Missouri and London.
Cuomo’s order is for sex offenders to have a new parole condition, which will prohibit them from "downloading, accessing, or otherwise engaging in any Internet enabled gaming activities, including Pokémon GO."
The Governor’s order will affect approximately 3,000 sex offenders that are currently on parole in the state.
