Pokemon Go banned by Iranian authorities over 'security'

5 August 2016 Middle East

Authorities in Iran have banned the Pokemon Go app because of unspecified "security concerns".

The decision was taken by the High Council of Virtual Spaces, the official body overseeing online activity.

Iran follows a number of other countries in expressing its worries over security related to the game.

But it becomes the first country to issue a ban of Pokemon Go, that challenges players to visit real-world locations to catch cartoon monsters.

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Iran Bans Pokemon Go, Cites Security Threat

Mehdi Jedinia
August 06, 2016 8:49 AM

The Iranian regime apparently has little tolerance for virtual monsters.

On Friday, Iran officially became the first nation to ban Pokemon Go, the dizzyingly popular mobile phone app game that has taken the world by storm in recent months. Some countries, like Indonesia, have placed partial bans on the use of Pokemon Go.

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Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, general secretary of the regime’s Internet Supervisory and Monitoring of Iran Committee, said in an interview with the state-run Tasnim News Agency that Pokemon Go was banned by a unanimous decision of committee members.

The Internet committee – also known as the High Council of Virtual Space - supervises online activities in Iran and is directed by the Iranian attorney general. Khoramabadi said national security concerns accounted for the ban, adding, “It might also endanger the security and safety of citizens.”

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