Depending on where you come down on the whole Pokemon Go phenomenon, you're either delighted to hear that this public menace enslaving the minds of today's youth may be brought to heel...or you think that State Rep Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago) is someone who likes to yell at kids to get off of her lawn.

According to the story at Illinois Policy, State Rep Cassidy doesn't want to stop you from playing the wildly-popular game, she'd like to restrict where you can play.

House Bill 6601, also known as the Location-based Video Game Protection Act, would require developers of augmented-reality and location-based video games such as Pokémon Go to remove areas from the game if the owners of those areas request it. The bill would provide a two-day window for game developers to remove the requested property from the game. It would also require any location-based game to create “an easily accessible procedure for removal.”

However, HB6601’s reach would go beyond private property. According to the bill, any site or location deemed “ecologically sensitive” or “historically significant” would be eligible for removal upon request by the owner, custodian or manager.

Penalties for not complying with the law include a $100 civil fine for the developer for each day the specified area is still open to players.

The motivation for the bill appears to come from a concern over possible disruption from Pokémon Go players in environmentally and historically sensitive areas.

Critics of the bill say that while the intentions to protect certain areas are valid, the bill puts a large onus on  Niantic Inc., which programs Pokémon Go. Niantic has included "location removal" software in Pokémon Go, but smaller developers cite the cost of location removal services and deploying systems to deal with a flood of requests as potential stumbling blocks to releasing their own augmented reality games.

If you don't know anything about this topic other than the name Pokémon Go:

 

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