NEW YORK -- The online video gaming accounts of more than 3,500 convicted New York sex offenders were abruptly yanked, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced.
As part of Operation: Game Over, the manufacturers of online video game networks are cross-checking their customer lists with the state's Sex Offender Registry to keep sex offenders from trolling sites in hopes of luring kids into personal encounters.
Participating companies include Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Disney, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony and Warner Bros.
"We must ensure that online video game systems do not become a digital playground for predators," Schneiderman said Thursday, noting that some manufacturers had yet to comply.
Video game players compete online and can exchange text messages and emails and chat on speaker or via video. The rapid and frequent interaction is fertile ground for pedophiles, Schneiderman and child advocates agree.
Under New York state law, convicted sex offenders must register all of their email addresses, screen names and other internet IDs with authorities.
That information is then made available to video game makers and website operators, who can choose to purge any potential predators.
Read more: NEW YORK POST
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