Iran has become the first country to ban the Pokémon Go mobile game, citing security concerns about the game’s use of location-based virtual reality technology. Internet filtering is rife in Iran, but it has not stopped millions of users accessing blocked apps and websites. Related: How Pokémon Go takes us back to the real worldUsing anti-filtering software affects connectivity speeds and it is not clear if using it would be feasible when playing Pokémon Go. Mana Neyestani, a prominent Iranian cartoonist, reacted to the ban by drawing a cartoon depicting a Pokémon Go character fleeing from the Iranian morality police. One Iranian user joked on Twitter that it was difficult to focus on streets in Iran because “you have to both look around to hunt Pokémon and also watch not being hunted yourself by the morality police”.

Source: The Guardian August 08, 2016 12:43 UTC