Iran has become the first country in the world to ban Pokémon Go, the hit augmented reality mobile game from Niantic and Nintendo.
The High Council of Virtual Space, the governing body of the Internet in Iran, banned the game due to unspecified security concerns. Maybe they're worried that citizens might aimlessly wander onto military bases or crash into police cars while hunting and driving?
According to a recent report from the BBC, a number of countries have expressed security concerns with regard to the game although Iran is the first to issue a wide-reaching ban. Others, however, have taken less drastic measures related to the game.
Police in New York State recently said they would ban roughly 3,000 registered sex offenders from playing Pokémon Go while on parole, a measure to safeguard children that play the game. In Indonesia, meanwhile, police have been barred from playing the game while on duty.
Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore's minister for communications and information, said in a recent interview with The Straits Times that they will continue to monitor the game, how it is being played and its impact on society as a whole. If it proves to be something they should be concerned about, they will evaluate how to best handle the situation including determining if the game is really needed in the region.
Pokémon Go launched on July 6 and has taken the world by storm. In its first week, the app was downloaded from Apple's App Store more times than any other app in the marketplace's history.
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