DAMMAM — Motorists found playing popular mobile game Pokemon Go while driving will be fined SR300, according to the Traffic Department. Playing Pokemon Go while driving is a gross traffic violation which will incur a fine of SR300, said Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, director general of the Eastern Province Traffic Department. "Playing Pokemon will distract the driver who may hurt himself, other motorists and pedestrians," he warned. Zahrani said that no driver has so far been caught playing Pokemon Go while driving, but tickets for this violation will soon be issued. He said that other security agencies have also been authorized to issue violation tickets to drivers playing Pokemon Go. Saudis have joined the frenzy for the game, which has become a worldwide hit since it was launched two weeks ago and has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe. In Baltimore a driver playing Pokemon Go was caught on a body-camera crashing into a police car on Monday. The driver, who was out of the vehicle, showed his phone to the officers, which appeared to show he was playing Pokemon Go, and he stated, "That's what I get for playing this dumb game." Pokemon Go uses smartphone satellite location, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for battles. The Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) also issued warning that Pokemon Go and similar gaming applications expose players' geographical locations. In 2001, the Kingdom banned the cartoon and game. A fatwa issued by the Higher Committee for Scientific Research and Islamic Law has been renewed in the wake of the latest Pokemon craze. Religious scholars also said at the time that Pokemon uses symbols such as "crosses, triangles significant for Freemasons, and symbols of Japan's Shintoism, which is based on the belief in more than one God." Authorities in the UAE and Kuwait have warned of security dangers associated with playing Pokemon GO. The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said in a statement that playing electronic games that request geographical locations could be used against gamers for criminal activities. The regulator warned that Pokemon Go "invades the privacy of users and allows criminal elements like hackers to spy on them and know when they are in isolated places — giving them the opportunity to rob them of their possessions or cause further harm." The TRA also warned against the illegal download of the game before it's made available in official application stores. The regulator said that it is currently studying all related effects, dangers, exploitations on society, when it comes to these games and applications. "Some of these virtual reality games depend on new geo-positioning technology to track the locations of users and tap into their smartphone cameras, which makes the privacy of users open to predators," said Eng. Mohamed Al Zarooni, TRA Director Policy and Programs Department. Kuwait's Interior Ministry also warned that users must resist the urge to point camera phones at Pikachu popping out in front of the Kuwaiti Emir's palace, mosques, oil facilities or military bases. "The danger in dealing with this game is that it involves the user photographing areas nearby with ... smart phones which transfer the pictures of the sites to third parties," Kuwait Interior Ministry undersecretary Suleiman Al-Fahd said. "The Interior Ministry has informed security men to show zero tolerance to anyone approaching such prohibited sites, deliberately or not," Fahd said in a statement. Officially launched in only five Western countries, Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon GO is set to be released to 200 more "relatively soon," according to the company. Accessing the app through illegal means or foreign app stores, users in the region have become addicted to Pokemon, which involves walking in search of the "pocket monsters" which emerge superimposed on the phone screen via the camera. Now the colorful creatures have been sighted at landmarks such as Egypt's pyramids and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Egypt's cabinet spokesman said on the news show "90 minutes" on Wednesday that authorities were investigating Pokemon GO and sought to "minimize the dangers of these games." Abbas Shoman, undersecretary of Cairo's Al-Azhar mosque despaired. "It's the utmost kind of manic harm for the future of those people enamored with this game, searching for Pokemon through the streets ... like drunkards," he told Youm7 newspaper.
