Best apps for tracking pollen and spring allergies

Spring means so many things to so many people, but if you ask an allergy sufferer, spring means one thing: MISERY.

Spring is beautiful, isn’t it? The sky is blue; the flowers are a rainbow of delight; the birds are singing in the trees; the roving clouds of pollen blow across the freeway- OH GOD NO!

That’s right, my friends, ‘Tis the season that puts the suffer in ‘allergy sufferer,’ and whether your poison is tree pollen, grass pollen, mold spores, dust, or dander, you best not leave the house before you do two things. The first is to check your daily allergy forecast and the second is to medicate before the microscopic miscreants can bring their misery. There are many apps to check the allergy forecast, and these are the best.

WebMD Allergy

WebMD can be a blessing or a curse depending on how fanatically you search it trying to match your symptoms, but their allergy app is blessedly easy to use and should keep the hypochondriacs among us from breathing any harder than our allergies already do. The WebMD allergy app has a general breakdown of allergies that are in the air today, but lacks future forecasting like the rest of our list. There is a nice map that will show allergy severity county by county in an easy to use map.

What it lacks in forecasting, it makes up in explanations and literature. This makes sense: after all, WebMD is a medical database full of explanations for symptoms and diseases. If you scroll through the app for more than a minute, you’ll be treated with links for a dozen allergy related articles and entries. If you need more information about allergies, this app has it for you. If you want to know what allergies are going to do for the next week, you’ll want to keep moving.

Download WebMD Allergy (Free)

AllergyCast by Zyrtec

Zyrtec is one of the most popular over the counter antihistamines on the market, so it has a vested interest in making sure that its users know how bad pollen is outside so they know if and how much allergy medication they need to take. AllergyCast is a vivid app, bathed in the color corresponding with today’s allergy forecast, which most days is going to be bright goldenrod. You can see which pollens are highest at the moment and the overall allergy forecast. You can also track your allergy symptoms day to day, if you need to track them for your immunologist.

As this app is made and maintained by Zyrtec, there is, of course, an entire section about their allergy products to help ease your suffering. That said, it’s fairly easy to avoid looking at their products, their logos in the app are mostly small, and the app is responsive and quick, though the allergy forecast could use a bit more precision.

Download ZYRTEC® AllergyCast (Free)

Weather Channel, powered by Flonase

The Weather Channel is the most well-known weather service in the country, and with forecasts for just about any outdoor activity, it should come as no surprise that it has a robust allergy forecast in its app. And it’s sponsored by Flonase, meaning that it’s not completely filled with ads like the rest of the Weather Channel app.

The forecast is divided into three sections, pollen for trees, grass, and ragweed, breathing for asthmatics, and mold for the dread fungus. Pollen and Breathing show forecasts for the next seven days, but mold does not, which is a bummer since mold is a year-long allergen as opposed to more seasonal pollens.

Download The Weather Channel (Free, ad-supported)

Accuweather

If you want a quick summary of what allergies look like for a particular category right now and for the next week, Accuweather will get you in, out, and on your way. The allergens are categorized, but since the categories are broad, they might not be the most helpful if you’re only allergic to a few specific kinds of pollen. Accuweather is a top-tier weather app, so if you’re already using it for weather, the allergy forecast is an adequate freebie if you want to avoid installing another app.

Download AccuWeather (Free, in-app purchases)

Your turn

What do you use to track pollen? Do you track your symptoms, too, or just their cause? How have your allergies been this season? Mine have been okay, but my sinuses feel like someone punched me in the face. Send honey and other remedies in the comments.

If none of these apps quite work for you, there is also one more suggestion I have for you: check out the apps from your local news stations. Some local weather apps will partner with local allergists to get more accurate local pollen counts and forecasts!

ZTE’s apparently making a phone with two notches because of course they are

Ladies and gents, meet the ZTE Iceberg.

The notch has been a controversial subject in the smartphone industry ever since the Essential Phone was announced almost a year ago, and the past few months have seen more and more OEMs adopt this design trend. WinFuture recently shared exclusive renders of a concept device ZTE’s working on, and it features not one, but two notches in its display.

The phone in question is currently referred to as the ZTE Iceberg, and similar to what we’ve seen on other handsets, the notch at the top of its screen is home to a front-facing camera, ambient light sensor, and an earpiece for phone calls. At the bottom is where you’ll find the Iceberg’s second notch, and this houses another front-facing speaker that can be used in conjunction with the earpiece for stereo audio.

Having two cut-outs in the display certainly isn’t my preferred design choice, but it does allow the rest of the Iceberg’s front to be virtually all screen. It’s a unique look, but it’s not the only unconventional part of the phone.

On all four corners of the Iceberg are raised edges of glass the stick out further than what we see on most smartphones. It gives the Iceberg an even more iconic look, but I don’t even want to think about what’ll happen to the phone with a small drop on concrete or a wood floor.

Rounding out the phone are dual cameras on the back, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and some sort of smart connector that could allow for ZTE’s own take on Motorola’s Moto Mods.

ZTE’s apparently touting the Iceberg as a phone for “after 2018”, but even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll ever hit store shelves.

What’s your take on the Iceberg?

Display notches are fine, but companies are doing a horrible job justifying them

Treat yourself to a UE WONDERBOOM for just $55 today

Connect wirelessly to this compact Wonderboom speaker from up to 100 feet away.

Right now Amazon has the black UE Wonderboom speaker down to just $55, which is one of the best prices we’ve seen as a straight price drop. Some of the other colors are available at $60 if the black doesn’t appeal to you.

While compact, the Wonderboom speaker blasts sound out 360 degrees which helps kick up any party. It’s waterproof and can last for up to ten hours on a single charge, and its Bluetooth can connect from up to 100 feet away from your device. What’s cool about Wonderboom speakers is that two of them can be connected together for even bigger sound.

This speaker features a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon with over 493 reviews.

See at Amazon

WSJ: SpaceX not to blame for ‘Zuma’ spy satellite disaster

All eyes were on SpaceX back in January, when a Falcon 9 rocket launched a mysterious payload called Zuma into orbit. But soon after its supposed deployment, reports started coming in that Zuma hadn’t fared well and the satellite had failed. Because the payload, from contractor Northrop Grumman, was classified, there wasn’t much additional information, though many grumbled that SpaceX was at fault. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that government and industry experts are of the opinion that the failure was the fault of Northrop Grumman, not SpaceX.

It’s still unclear what happened to Zuma after launch, but it appears as though the satellite failed to separate from the second stage of the rocket. Normally, this type of issue would be SpaceX’s responsibility, but apparently Northrop Grumman insisted on a proprietary payload adapter that failed in space. According to The Wall Street Journal, the adapter had been tested multiple times on the ground, but it did not operate properly in zero-g.

This is in line with SpaceX’s comments to Engadget after the Zuma failure. A spokesperson told us, “We do not comment on missions of this nature; but as of right now reviews of the data indicate Falcon 9 performed nominally.” And indeed, it appears that the rocket performed as it was supposed to. That’s the end of SpaceX’s responsibility in this endeavor.

Normally, a regular satellite launch wouldn’t attract as much interest as this one did, but the secretive nature of the mission, the buzzy name of the payload — “Zuma” — and the rumors of failure after launch all made this quite the news story. It’s good that SpaceX is in the clear, because until now, despite its statements, some were blaming the company for an issue that clearly wasn’t its fault.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Do you need a smart home hub?

When life gets chaotic, it can be convenient to have all your smart home devices operating on the same wavelength. Achieving this sort of harmony sometimes requires a hub to consolidate the myriad gadgets in your house. But not everyone needs a dedicated smart hub to make their setup run smoothly. A smart speaker like the Amazon Echo or the Google Home can serve a similar purpose, with each device’s respective apps acting as central command. Manufacturers have even begun bundling hubs into other devices like security systems and mesh WiFi routers, making home automation simpler for beginners.

The basics

Think of the smart hub as the heart of the home, a central organ connecting all the gadgets around your house, with arteries that lead to each of them. It allows you access to everything through one centralized app, rather than forcing you to juggle a half-dozen different apps from disparate manufacturers.

Another reason smart hubs can come in handy is that not every device relies on the same wireless standard. Connected lights like the LIFX A19 Smart Bulbs connect via WiFi, while others, like the Philips Hue, require that each bulb routes through a Zigbee-compatible gateway. There’s the Z-Wave standard, too, which is favored by brands like GE and Linear and requires a gateway to work. A standalone hub, like the Samsung SmartThings, typically includes connectivity for all of these different wireless standards. Some device makers will even package hubs of their own into a kit, like the Philips Hue lighting system, though their compatibility is often limited.

There are some hybrid devices that offer partial compatibility, like the Amazon Echo Plus, which features Zigbee connectivity, or the Abode home security system, which supports both Zigbee and Z-Wave. Hybrid setups like these are worth considering: As these types of devices become more commonplace, so will strain on your wireless network. A smart hub can help divert some of that network traffic toward a particular lane, away from WiFi and Bluetooth, to help smooth the flow.

In that case, perhaps the best reason to consider a hybrid smart device as the hub to connect all the things is to help alleviate the strain on your home network.

So do you need a dedicated smart hub?

If you’re just dipping your toes into this smart home thing, you might even consider avoiding smart hubs altogether and syncing everything through a smart speaker instead. The Google Home Mini and Echo Dot don’t work like traditional smart hubs because they don’t have Zigbee or Z-Wave connectivity. But if you’re living with different ecosystems in your home and are looking for a way to unite them all, a smart speaker can provide that “hub-like” functionality through its companion app. If you’re an Apple fan, you might also consider the HomePod, which uses Siri as its assistant and offers HomeKit compatibility.

I would add that if your devices all support WiFi, there’s definitely no need for a dedicated hub. If you’re worried about juggling too many apps, there are third-party programs like Stringify and Yonomi that offer a centralized locale where you can control everything that’s connected in your house. Both apps also support automation, so you can program those smart lights to come on every night at the same time, for example.

The best smart hubs

If you’re still set on a smart hub, consider the two most popular and best-rated devices on the market: the Samsung SmartThings Hub and the Wink Hub 2.

The Samsung SmartThings mobile app

Samsung SmartThings Hub

The second-generation Samsung SmartThings hub ($99) simply has the most well-rounded feature set. It supports Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Bluetooth, and it connects by hardwiring into your router. It’s compatible with more than 200 devices and a variety of third-party services, including Philips Hue, Nest, and IFTTT. All told, the SmartThings device ecosystem is one of the most expansive, with Samsung offering everything from motion sensors to water detectors. As a bonus, it comes with battery backup, which is helpful when the power goes out but you still need to unlock the front door.

The only caveat is SmartThing’s kludgy companion app. While it does enable you to manage numerous smart devices in one place, there is a bit of a learning curve to mastering its cluttered, dated interface. It’s also confusing to set up SmartThing’s version of automation alongside the Google Home and Alexa apps, which offer similar functionality.

Wink Hub 2

The $99 Wink Hub 2 isn’t as well known as Samsung’s offering, but it’s just as capable.

Wink’s second-generation smart home hub features Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee, and Bluetooth LE connectivity, as well as support for Lutron Clear Connect and Google’s Thread interface, two other proprietary standards that operate on their own frequency bands. The Wink Hub 2 also offers 5GHz Wi-Fi connectivity in addition to an Ethernet port, so you don’t have to install it near your router.

The Wink Hub 2’s app is a bit more intuitive than Samsung’s SmartThings, but it’s not without its flaws. As our friends at Wirecutter point out, the app refers to automation schemes as “robots,” which can be confusing for beginning smart home users. At the very least, you can quickly add devices to the Wink by scanning their barcodes with the app.

skyNext via Getty Images

If you don’t actually want a smart hub

As we said earlier, you don’t have to drop extra cash on a device that serves only one purpose. There are smart speakers and other connected devices with all the components you need to unite everything in your home. Cheaper smart speakers like the Google Home Mini and the Amazon Echo Dot don’t have the tech components necessary to act as a proper hub, but they can serve as a wrangler as long as you don’t mind taking the time to set up trigger words and routines.

Amazon Echo Plus

If you want to build out your smart home but don’t want to shell out too much money at first, the Amazon Echo Plus marries all the most essential features at an affordable price. This isn’t a device to consider for a robust setup, though, since the Echo Plus is only outfitted with a Zigbee radio.

The $150 Echo Plus is a digital assistant, a speaker that can lead a raucous house party, and what I’d call half a smart home hub. But because the Echo Plus runs on Amazon’s Alexa, its compatibility with third-party devices is nearly endless. Google Play Music and Apple Music aren’t natively available through the Alexa platform, though they can be streamed over Bluetooth.

Amazon Echo Dot

If you don’t need the Zigbee radio in the Echo Plus but you do want to be able to control everything by voice, the $50 Echo Dot makes for a fine alternative. All the smart home connectivity happens through the Alexa app, which supports voice commands and allows you to schedule routines for any linked devices and services. On the device itself, you’ll find playback controls and an auxiliary port around back, in case you want to use it as a controller for an existing stereo system.

Still, the Echo Dot isn’t a substitute for a full-fledged smart hub; it’s really just a barebones smart speaker. But if you’re simply planning on controlling a few WiFi connected lights or outlets in your home, this is all you need. Just make sure not to purchase anything that requires Zigbee, Z-Wave or some other proprietary connection to work.

Google Home

The $129 Google Home speaker comes in three varieties: the standard Google Home, the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max. Think of them as the Google Assistant in sizes small, medium and large, with each using the Google Home app to manage your devices. From there, you can set up shortcuts and routines, as well as identify rooms around the house. And since it’s the Google Assistant that underpins this family of products, you’ll also have access to Google’s ecosystem, including Chromecast devices.

Like the majority of Amazon’s Echo speakers, Google’s smart speakers are not smart hubs, because they don’t offer Zigbee or Z-Wave compatibility. If you want to add devices that connect that way, you’ll have to build that bridge with an additional hub of some sort and then link it through the Google Home app.

Apple HomePod

If you’re committed to the Apple way of life, you might consider the Apple HomePod ($349), which is both a hi-fi speaker and a smart hub of sorts. The HomePod has Siri as its digital assistant, which isn’t as capable as Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant. (Heck, it’s not even as capable as Siri on Macs or iOS devices.) Apple also uses a proprietary standard called HomeKit, which has increased its compatibility since the speaker hit the market. HomeKit works with devices from Belkin’s Wemo line, Philips Hue series, IKEA, GE and Logitech, to name just a few examples. (Here’s a complete list if you’re wondering where to start.)

If you’re not especially interested in the speaker, but you’d still like something with HomeKit support, the Apple TV 4K can also serve as a gateway device while streaming 4K content to your TV.

Images: zhudifeng via Getty Images (wall control); skyNext via Getty Images (woman thinking)

Facebook to open up its data for research on social media and elections

Facebook announced a new initiative today aimed at improving its policies and the role its platform plays in elections. The company acknowledged that it was slow to respond to election interference efforts that took place on its site and says it wants to learn more about social media’s role in elections around the world. To do that, it’s putting together a group of researchers that will then develop a research plan, get proposals for projects that address issues defined in its plan and manage a peer review process that will determine who will receive funding and access to Facebook data for their research.

The commission of experts will initially work for one year and Facebook says membership will be determined soon. It’s looking to form a group that’s diverse in its political views, expertise, gender, ethnicity and nationality. Once the research agenda, which can include topics such as misinformation, polarizing content, civic engagement and protection of domestic elections from foreign interference, is defined, the commission will solicit research proposals, the peer review for which will be overseen by the Social Science Research Council.

Those proposals selected to receive Facebook data will undergo additional scrutiny by Facebook’s privacy and research review teams as well as external privacy experts. And any reported data will be aggregated and anonymized. The commission will be able to continuously provide the public with information on its processes as well as Facebook’s and any research published in academic journals will not be subject to approval by Facebook.

Facebook has been keen to address privacy issues and election interference ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light. It has so far made a number of changes to how it manages users’ data and made efforts to ensure that its processes and policies are more understandable than they have been in the past.

“By working with the academic community, we can help people better understand the broader impact of social media on democracy — as well as improve our work to protect the integrity of elections,” said Facebook. Those funding the selected research proposals include the John and Laura Arnold Foundation, Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, the Omidyar Network and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Source: Facebook

Xprize finalists to test CO2 recycling ideas in factories

In September 2015, the NRG COSIA Carbon Xprize was born. Through a total of $20 million in reward money, the aim of this particular Xprize is to challenge participants to come up with a way to convert CO2 emissions into something actually useful. Almost two and half years later, and the Xprize crew have now whittled down the contestants from 27 semi-finalists to ten finalists.

Each of the finalists will be awarded their equal share of $5 million (that works out to $500,000 per team), and will be split into two tracks. The remaining $15 million of the prize purse will be split into two — $7.5 million goes to the winner of each track. One group of five will test out their tech at a coal-fired power plant in Gillette, Wyoming, while the other five will head to a natural gas-fired plant in Alberta, Canada. Each team will be tasked to actually put their plans into practice in a real-world setting day after day, week after week, for a total of eight months.

Teams are evaluated based on a few different factors: just how much CO2 is converted, the economic value of the product, the market size, the CO2 uptake of the products, as well as the overall carbon footprint of the entire process. The semi-finalists already had to undergo a 10-month test period in order to get to the final stage, but because this last hurdle involves testing out their tech in real-world facilities, they’ll have to scale up at least 10 times greater.

“It is the final, most ambitious stage of the prize competition,” said Dr. Marcius Extavour, Xprize senior director of Energy and Resources, who also happens to be the leader of the NRG COSIA Xprize. The team expects to announce a winner in two years.

One of the reasons the final stage of the Xprize is so demanding, is because Extavour wants it to actually be economically feasible. “We want to see if these solutions can be done at scale. This is crucial to catalyze interest not just in other innovators but policymakers as well. We want the public to get interested, and we want governments to pay attention.”

“We created this Xprize with a few goals in mind,” said Extavour. “One was to push teams in a difficult and ambitious endeavor, in order to inspire breakthrough innovations. We also want the public to follow the competition, and to be inspired by what’s possible.”

But more importantly, the larger goal is to deal with climate change. “When you typically hear about our CO2 problem, there’s generally not a lot of good news,” continued Extavour. “But we think innovation and ingenuity can lead to a low carbon future. [The Xprize] can help light a spark of the bonfire of innovation.” He said it could lead to greater economic activity as well as creating more sustainable products.

That’s why the NRG COSIA Xprize also started the Circular Carbon Network (CCN) initiative last year. The idea behind the CCN is to basically take the carbon conversion concept from the lab to the mainstream market and, hopefully, get some capital investment. “Our goal is to take these technologies to the fully industrial scale,” explained Extavour.

The ten finalists of the NRG COSIA Xprize are listed below, with descriptions provided by Xprize.

The Wyoming track (converting CO2 emissions from a coal-fired power plant):

• Breathe (Bangalore, India) – Led by Dr. Sebastian Peter, the team is producing methanol.
• C4X (Suzhou, China) – Led by Dr. Wayne Song and Dr. Yuehui Li, the team is producing chemicals and bio-composite foamed plastics.
• Carbon Capture Machine (Aberdeen, Scotland) – Led by Dr. Mohammed Imbabi, the team is producing solid carbonates with applications to building materials.
• CarbonCure (Dartmouth, Canada) – Led by Jennifer Wagner, the team is producing stronger, greener concrete.
• Carbon Upcycling UCLA (Los Angeles, CA, USA) – Led by Dr. Gaurav Sant, the team is producing building materials that absorb CO2 during the production process to replace concrete.

The Alberta track (converting CO2 emissions from a natural gas-fired power plant):

• C2CNT (Ashburn, VA, USA) – Led by Dr. Stuart Licht, the team is producing carbon nanotubes.
• Carbicrete (Montreal, Canada) – Led by Dr. Mehrdad Mahoutian, the team is producing cement-free, carbon-negative concrete that uses waste from steel production as an alternative to traditional cement.
• Carbon Upcycling Technologies (Calgary, Canada) – Led by Apoorv Sinha, the team is producing enhanced graphitic nanoparticles and graphene derivatives with applications in polymers, concrete, epoxies, batteries and pharmaceuticals.
• CERT (Toronto, Canada) – Led by Dr. Alex Ip of the Sargent Group at the University of Toronto, the team is producing building blocks of industrial chemicals.
• Newlight (Huntington Beach, CA, USA) – Led by Mark Herrema, the team uses biological systems to produce bioplastics.

iPhone X Gets (RED) Leather Folio, But No Rumored Red or Gold Finish, While AirPower Wait Continues

In addition to the (PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple today introduced a (RED) leather folio for the iPhone X.

The folio, which looks more like burgundy in the render, will be available for $99 beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, April 10, from Apple.com, Apple Stores, and the Apple Store app in the United States and several other countries.

(RED) was founded in 2006 by U2 frontman Bono and activist Bobby Shriver to raise funds for The Global Fund, which helps people affected by HIV or AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in eight African countries, including Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zambia.

Apple makes an unspecified contribution to The Global Fund for every (RED) product it sells, raising over $160 million to date in the past 11-plus years.

No Red or Gold Finish

Over the past few weeks, rumors have suggested the (PRODUCT)RED finish may extend to the iPhone X, but it appears the color will be limited to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. There’s also no sign of a twice rumored Blush Gold finish.

AirPower Wait Continues

With the (PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus debuting today, it was reasonable to assume that availability of Apple’s new AirPower charging mat could also be announced. Alas, it appears more patience will be required.

Apple has only stated that AirPower will be available at some point in 2018. A trio of reports that pinpointed a March release date proved to be inaccurate.

One possibility is that the AirPower will merely show up on Apple’s online store tomorrow alongside the red-colored iPhones, but this is purely speculation. It’s very possible the AirPower simply isn’t ready for an imminent release.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTags: (PRODUCT)RED, AirPowerBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Neutral)
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Is Online Poker Coming to the Empire State?

Thumbs up to NY Online Poker Bill after Committee Vote

USA online poker is fast gaining traction along the East Coast. New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania have legalized online poker, and New York lawmakers are looking to plug a gaping hole in gaming revenues that has resulted in $1 billion of New York gaming cash flooding into neighboring states. Lawmakers are hoping that the third time is a charm for a possible online poker deal. For years, New York has failed to advance legislation in the New York assembly. The Senate has no problem with online poker, but there has been little interest in the other legislative chamber.

In fact, various lawmakers in the Empire State are considering dual options: sports betting and online poker. Pundits are hoping that New Jersey’s showdown with the Supreme Court will bear fruit. If the Garden State gains the green light to offer online sports betting, this will pave the way for regulated gaming across the US. However, New York state law is complicated. In order to authorize online gaming activity such as online sports betting or online poker, a constitutional amendment is needed. The only workaround is if poker is deemed a game of skill, and not a game of chance. If the words gambling or games of chance are removed from the literature, it could be approved without a constitutional amendment.

Committee Vote Approved

The New York Senate held a quick committee vote on the online poker bill and approved it without hesitation. The RGWC (Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee) approved a measure to send the bill to the SFC (Senate Finance Committee). GOP Senator John Bonacic is leading the way and is hopeful that the online poker bill will pass through the Senate this year. However, it is unclear whether the New York Assembly will vote on this poker bill. Lawmakers like Bonacic are pushing this bill as a way for New York casinos to make good on their revenue streams. GGR (Gross Gambling Revenues) have been falling for New York casinos for quite some time. The approval of online poker legislation could bolster revenue and help the state.

Gary Pretlow, and assemblyman in charge of the Racing and Wagering Committee in the New York assembly supports the current poker bill. However, the success of New York’s impending online poker legislation could hinge on something entirely different – the Resorts World Catskills Casino. This $1.2 billion casino project will be open for business this month, and will feature an expansive selection of table games, roulette, slots, and video poker machines. It was part of a large group of Vegas-style developments approved by the New York legislature in 2013. The Empire State moved swiftly to fast-track approval of licensing and development of additional casinos to prevent the outflow of some $1 billion worth of New York gaming revenue to neighboring states. Currently, New York lawmakers are only contemplating online poker, not online casino games.

There are several ways that New York lawmakers can include online poker and/or online sports betting in the state without changing the constitution. One of them is through a referendum which is what happened with sports betting at commercial casinos. A successful referendum would ensure that online poker and online sports betting could gain a foothold in New York State. By joining online poker and sports betting, it may be easier to push legislation through both chambers. This is crucial if the state wishes to pass mobile betting and not just sports betting at Native American casinos in the state. With the momentum of online gaming legislation sweeping across the East Coast, New York state could soon be voting on a package deal to approve poker and sports betting. Several other states including Rhode Island, and Illinois are also contemplating an expansion of the gambling industry.

What Challenges Currently Exist in New York State?

A major lawsuit is currently underway in New York to try and prevent DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) betting. If this lawsuit proves successful in the New York State Supreme Court, it is likely that DFS will be ruled a gambling game and not a game of skill. According to proponents of the lawsuit, daily fantasy sports betting is gambling and is prohibited. The other side of the argument is that it is within the government’s purview to determine what is categorized as gambling. If DFS is permitted, opponents argue that it violates the New York Constitution.

The other legal issue is online poker. It has had no problem in the New York Senate, but it continues to meet stiff opposition in the Assembly. No votes have been passed in favor of online poker for several legislative sessions. Among the many reasons why online poker has fallen on deaf ears is the opposition against it by female legislators. Regardless, there is a slim chance that both forms of online betting will be included in a state budget with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York desperately needs the tax dollars but pending the SCOTUS outcome it may not be a good idea to preemptively bank on sports betting in the state. A decision is expected by the Supreme Court of the United States in the summer of 2018. If it gets the green light from the Supreme Court justices, online sports betting could provide significant momentum for legal online gambling across the United States

Parent groups say YouTube defies underage data-collection laws

The Federal Trade Commission has been asked to, once again, investigate Google’s practices around its YouTube Kids platform. A group of child-safety organizations accuse the search giant of violating child protection laws by collecting data, and using that data to advertise, to kids under 13.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says that the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act offers strict rules on data-collection for kids. Companies that run websites directed at children need to inform parents what information they plan to gather, and get permission to do so.

But YouTube is accused of avoiding this responsibility simply by saying that YouTube kids is only to be used by those over 13. The CCFC says that Google knows that YouTube is the most recognizable brand among kids aged between six and 12.

This is borne out, according to officials, because Google boasts to advertisers about how well it can access children. The CCFC also highlights programs like Google Preferred, where companies can pay more to get airtime on popular, rugrat-friendly channels.

The organizations want Google to be held accountable for violating COPPA and stop pushing itself on pre-teens. In a statement to the Guardian, a YouTube spokesperson said that it will “read the complaint thoroughly and evaluate if there are things we can do to improve.”

It’s not the first time that parenting groups have gone to the FTC armed with an angry letter about YouTube’s behavior. In 2015, the site suffered criticism that it was violating decades-old FCC laws about advertising to children.

In addition, the algorithmically-monitored content has raised serious concerns amongst parents who see inappropriate videos available on the YouTube Kids app. The company has been forced to admit that its systems aren’t doing enough, and will hire human moderators to curate its content.

Via: The Guardian

Source: CCFC