NY moves to ban sex offenders from gaming websites

I like what New York is doing to try to protect children. Children play video games all of the time. Wherever children are you'll find pedophiles. They will pretend they are a child themselves. I went to a couple of different gaming sites to check out the response to this. Some of the things that are being  said is, that people ask for the ages of who they are playing against because of stirring conversation. That sometimes the players don't talk unless the ice is broken. I don't know if this is true or not I don't play on online gaming systems. I think this will shake things up with child predators. In New York registered sex offenders are required to share their email addresses. Apparently this is one of the ways they plan to get them off the online gaming sites. By requiring players to use their email address to register for the gaming systems. The following is a quote from this article:

The companies that have agreed to participate in the program are Microsoft, Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. and Disney Interactive Media Group.

I am glad that New York is getting the amount of support from these companies. I hope this takes off through the US and the rest of the world. We are a global world and a pedophile in another part of the world can access online gaming systems and groom children any where. I know this will be a hard thing to put in place but one can only hope. I am applauding Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.  Rosie


NEW YORK — Registered sex offenders in New York state are being shut out of online gaming systems that have allowed them to interact with children anonymously, under an agreement announced Thursday by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The deal applies only to sex offenders within state borders — boundaries that may not hold much weight in virtual gaming worlds where players young and old mix anonymously, conversing by voice and written message.
"Online gaming is not just a digital playground. It has the potential to be a 21st century crime scene," Schneiderman said, citing a 2008 Pew Research Center study that found that 27 percent of teenagers acknowledge playing games online with strangers. Many games require players to interact virtually with others.
The deal may be the first of its kind to focus on online gaming; Schneiderman said he was aware of no other. Such precautions are frequently taken on more traditional social networking sites such as Facebook.

 The agreement — dubbed "Operation: Game Over" by Schneiderman's office — has led companies including Microsoft and Apple to shut down or suspend communication privileges for more than 3,500 accounts. The attorney general declined to identify companies that have thus far declined to participate.
Schneiderman said his office was exploring ways in which the program could be expanded to other states. In New York, registered sex offenders are required to disclose all their email addresses and online accounts, allowing gaming companies to perform a weekly purge of player accounts associated with the offenders.
Earlier this month, Schneiderman said, a 19-year-old man pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges after befriending a 10-year-old through Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and luring the boy to his home.
The companies that have agreed to participate in the program are Microsoft, Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. and Disney Interactive Media Group.
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Samantha Gross can be reached at www.twitter.com/samanthagroshttp://online.wsj.com/article/APa2e48ff652804c768fd8fa956ce64d92.html