Assemblyman Threatens Pokemon GO Legislation In Name Of Public Safety

Pokemon GO has raised safety concerns on multiple levels, and now one Brooklyn Democrat has threatened to introduce legislation related to the game if the company behind it fails to be "be vigilant before they become liable" for any issues related to, it seems, public safety. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz made his statements earlier this week, saying, "Every single one of us who might want to play this game have to be very cautious."

Warnings about staying safe while playing Pokemon GO have been around since the game's launch; some are concerned that carelessness amongst gamers can resulting car wrecks and other incidents. Then there has been the issue regarding privacy, which Niantic did take steps to address, and it has already been targeted by one senator who fired off a list of questions.

Ortiz's cited concerns are more of the safety variety rather than being concerned with privacy. He worries about, for example, someone walking in front of a moving car because they were too busy looking at their phone.

While he doesn't have plans to introduce some type of legislation related to this at this time, he has threatened to do so, saying in a vague way that Niantic needs to "pull out and fix" any issues they can, "otherwise I will introduce legislation."

He went on to say:

Like any new technology, it has its advantages and disadvantages, and like any new technology, it has to be looked at very, very carefully. Everything comes down to people's responsibility as well as corporate responsibility. Every single one of us who might want to play this game have to be very cautious.

Who's sending what, and what is the follow up? Everyone should be cautious to make sure that no intruders will be able to tap into this and have people think they're going to the park when in reality they're going to a be targeted by some rapist. People could think they're going to the bank, but in reality, someone is waiting to take their money.

SOURCE: Politico