Pokemon Go creators acknowledge sex offender ‘concerns’

The company behind the smash hit mobile game Pokemon Go said Tuesday it had heard concerns about whether the application could be utilized by sex offenders.

“We are always listening to our community and we have heard the concerns raised in recent days about Pokemon GO,” game company Niantic, Inc. said in a statement. “We will always ensure our products comply with applicable laws.

{mosads}“We also believe that parents know their children and neighborhoods best, and we encourage them to supervise their kids to enjoy Pokemon GO safely, as they would with any outdoor activity or phone app,” it added.

The statement came in response to the decision by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to ask the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to ban sex offenders on parole from download or using the application.

Cuomo also wrote to Niantic CEO John Hanke to ask him to assist the state in keeping offenders off the application.

Pokemon Go allows players to search the real world for virtual Pokemon through augmented reality — the placement of a virtual layer on top of a live image of the real world.

Two New York lawmakers recently released a report finding that important locations in the game were near or at the residences of sex offenders.

They also said that nothing in New York law prohibits offenders from playing the game, raising concerns about how the game’s features could be used to guide children toward sex offenders.