NY Sex Offenders Banned From Online Gaming With “Operation Game Over”

In a move that’s being praised by parents and child advocacy groups, and criticized by some others, New York Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, with the help of some of the biggest online gaming publishers in the world, banned 3,500 accounts belonging to NY registered sex offenders from their online games.

New York has one of the strictest watches over registered sex offenders and their online habits. A registered sex offender in New York must register all their email addresses and online accounts in order to be in compliance with their registration laws. Those who don’t do that sometimes find them the subject of a parole or probation violation.

In a press release today Schneiderman said:

“I applaud all the companies participating in this first-of-its-kind initiative for taking online safety seriously and purging their networks of sex offenders. Together we are making the online community safer for our children, not allowing it to become a 21st century crime scene.”

Microsoft, Sony, Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Warner Brothers and Disney Interactive all cooperated with the Attorney General in New York to remove these sex offenders from their online games.

The fear is that some of these sex offenders will use text chat and voice chat in games to cultivate relationships with underage game players.

Website Tech.li reports:

The initiative aims to eliminate situations where sexual predators have worked to befriend and lure underage gamers via popular gaming networks.

Some, including Tech.Li’s Corey Cummings, feel that a move to ban 3,500 accounts in one fell swoop from online gaming entirely may be a bit overboard. There may have been the option for something less drastic like banning them from chat and video chat.

Schneierman is hoping that other states will follow New York’s “operation game over”

source: Tech.li