by Stacy Jones on Dec 20, 2012
Registered sex offenders get another form of punishment this week as NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman expanded his Operation Game Over initiative purging more than 2,1000 gaming accounts of from online games. Schneiderman coordinated the effort with several online gaming companies that include Funcom, NCsoft, THQ, and others.
The Internet is the crime scene of the 21st century, and we must ensure that online video game platforms do not become a digital playground for dangerous predators. That means doing everything possible to block sex offenders from using gaming systems as a vehicle to prey on underage victims, said Attorney General Schneiderman. I applaud the online gaming companies that have purged registered sex offenders from their networks in time for the holiday season. Together, we are making the online community a safer place for the children of New York.
The initiative is carried out in New York as part of the Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP), which requires convicted sex offenders to submit their email addresses, screen names and other Internet aliases to officials. That information can then be provided to websites and gaming companies for account removal.
Operation: Game Over is the first time that e-STOP has been applied to online gaming platforms and is aimed at making the online gaming space safer for younger users.