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Disney+ will launch in eight more European countries on September 15th
Disney+ will arrive in a further eight European countries in September.
Nintendo pulls two mobile games in Belgium due to loot box laws
Nintendo is pulling two of its popular mobile games in Belgium due to the nation's anti-gambling laws aimed at loot boxes. Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be removed from app stores on August 27th, according to an announcement on the company's website. Upon that date, neither game will be available to download or play. Players who have Orbs or Leaf Tickets can still use them until the game's removal. Due to the law, Nintendo also will not release any future games with similar earnings models in Belgium.
The FTC will hold a public workshop on loot boxes in August
The Federal Trade Commission pledged in November to investigate loot boxes, and it's set out the timeline for the first steps in the process. It will hold a public workshop on August 7th to look into consumer protection issues linked with them.
EA stops selling 'FIFA' currency in Belgium due to loot box law
When Belgium declared that loot boxes were illegal and amounted to gambling, EA didn't react well -- it not only defended the practice, it refused to honor the law and insisted its practice was legal. Authorities saw things differently, however, and EA is backing down. The publisher is halting sales of the FIFA series' in-game currency (FIFA Points) in the country by January 31st after "further discussions with the Belgian authorities." Footie fans can still use any points they have left after that moment, but they'll otherwise have to earn content the old-fashioned way.
Federal Trade Commission agrees to investigate loot boxes
The Federal Trade Commission has agreed to investigate loot boxes in games, along with their impact on kids. The agency's commissioners committed to the probe after Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) raised the issue at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing. Loot boxes offer players in-game items, but because you can often buy them with real money and the virtual goods within are awarded at random, some claim they're tantamount to gambling.
Square Enix removes three mobile games in Belgium after loot box ban
Square Enix will no longer offer three of its mobile games in Belgium after the country banned loot boxes this year. You'll no longer be able to pick up Mobius Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts Union X or Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia in the nation.
Loot crates are now illegal in Belgium
Officials in Belgium have determined that loot boxes violate the country's gambling laws and if publishers don't remove them from their games, they face jail time and fines. Specifically, FIFA 18, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were found to be in violation. While Star Wars Battlefront II was also part of the Belgian government's investigation, EA's removal of the game's loot boxes kept it from bumping up against the country's legislation. In a statement, Minister of Justice Koen Geens said that if loot boxes in the aforementioned games aren't removed, their publishers could be subject to up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €800,000 (approximately $974,926). If children are involved, those punishments could be doubled.
Hawaii legislators want to put age restrictions on loot crates
The video game industry is getting a wake up call over paid loot boxes. Last November, Belgium ruled that loot crates in Star Wars Battlefront II could be classified as gambling. Last month, a Washington Senator proposed a bill aimed at regulating the practice via the state's gambling commission. Now Hawaii is looking to limit these types of game systems with a couple of bills proposed by state legislators, one of which restricts sales of these types of games to the over-21 crowd.
Belgium moves to ban 'Star Wars Battlefront 2'-style loot boxes
We learned last week that Belgium's gambling authority was investigating loot crates in Star Wars Battlefront II over concerns that they constitute gambling. Now, the decision is in, and the answer is a resounding yes, according to Dutch-language publication VTM Nieuws. The commission claims that purchasable add-on boxes, the contents of which are randomized, mix "money and addiction" and thus are a form of gambling.
Belgian scientists turn polluted air into hydrogen fuel
To save the environment, humanity needs to do two things: reduce harmful gases and produce more energy from "green" energy sources. While plenty of research projects have tried to tackle these independently, few do both at the same time. Scientists from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven (University of Leuven) in Belgium are developing a device that cleans up the air and generates power at the same time. It relies on a process called 'heterogeneous photocatalysis,' which uses light and a special catalyst (typically a semiconductor) to trigger a chemical reaction.
Kobo is the next to offer an e-book subscription service
All-you-can-read e-book subscriptions are nothing new (just ask Amazon), but Kobo is just now joining the fray. It's launching Kobo Plus, a service that offers unlimited reading of eligible books (currently 40,000 titles) for a flat monthly fee. While there aren't any surprising attempts to shake up the basic subscription formula, you probably won't complain if you prefer Kobo's e-readers or mobile apps -- you no longer have to buy every single title that piques your interest.
Solar-powered machine turns urine into drinkable water
Scientists from a Belgian university have built a solar-powered machine that can turn urine into drinkable water. They deployed it at a 10-day music and theater festival in central Ghent, Belgium. The experiment was a success as the scientists were able to recover a 1,000 litres of unconsumed water, which will be used to make Belgian beer, from the urine of several partygoers.
US carriers cover the costs for calls and texts to Belgium
If you're determined to get in touch with friends and relatives who were in Belgium during the March 22nd terrorist attacks in Brussels, you're about to get a helping hand. Major US carriers (so far including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) are all waiving the costs of calls and text messages to Belgium to help you confirm that everyone is safe and sound. The extent of the offer varies -- Verizon's waiver runs through March 23rd, while Sprint will take care of you until March 31st. Some (such as T-Mobile and Verizon) are covering calls to Turkey following its incident, as well. It's an all too familiar gesture (carriers did the same following the Paris attacks), but it's an important one if you need to reassure yourself with a familiar voice.
Internet of Things could save lives during Antarctic expedition
Can the internet of things do more than just let your phone control your home's lighting and temperature? It's an idea that Sigfox is putting to the test after revealing that it's equipping an Antarctic research base with its low-power wireless network. Rather than being used to run the facilities' creature comforts, the tech will be used to connect personal GPS trackers onto the team stationed there. It's hoped that the system can be employed to prevent personnel getting separated from each other in the harsh blizzards encountered during expeditions. The only thing we're wondering is how come it's taken until 2016 before someone's been able to get a system like this working in such a dangerous environment.
Brussels wants you to make internet calls to random locals
Brussels is having a tough time lately. While it's the effective capital of the European Union and famous for its street art, the combination of terrorism fears and an economic slump has kept the tourists away. The Belgian city has a clever solution for that, however: calling random people on the street. If you visit Call Brussels between 9AM and 7PM local time no later than January 11th, you can make internet calls to who picks up the phone in one of multiple public locations. As you've probably guessed, Brussels is hoping that you'll hear how wonderful the city is and book a vacation.
Facebook locks down Belgian site following tracking lawsuit
It's not altogether surprising that a website some use to scrapbook their entire lives be regularly held to account over its privacy policies. Facebook's ongoing legal predicament in Belgium isn't concerned with how it treats users, though, but how it tracks any visitor to its pages, logged-in or not. After the country's privacy watchdog concluded Facebook was violating European Union law by tracking non-users through persistent cookies without their consent, the social network found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit. A Belgian court demanded Facebook stop the practice, and pre-empting the order coming through this week, the website has gone into lockdown. So for now, only visitors from Belgium that are logged-in to the platform can view Facebook pages.
Belgian Twitter users post cat pics to help police in weekend raids
Belgium's capital, Brussels, entered lockdown this weekend as authorities swept the city for suspected terrorists, including at least one high-profile fugitive wanted in connection with the Paris attacks. On Twitter, authorities prompted residents to refrain from posting pictures or information about ongoing police movement -- and Belgian residents obliged, with a twist. They flooded the hashtag #BrusselsLockdown with pictures of cats, making information about raids harder to find and showcasing the country's solidarity against terrorism. On Monday, as the city remained under its highest-level terror alert, Belgian federal police thanked residents on Twitter with a picture of cat food and the message, "For the cats who helped us last night... Help yourself!"[Image credit: Flickr/julochka]
Facebook must stop tracking non-users in Belgium, or else
If you thought Facebook was already in hot water for its web tracking, you haven't seen anything yet. A Belgian court has given Facebook 48 hours to stop violating the country's privacy law by following non-users with a web cookie. If it doesn't, it risks fines of up to €250,000 ($269,000) per day -- it can't exactly afford to take its time. Facebook is appealing the decision and tells the BBC the cookie is needed to "keep Facebook secure," but we wouldn't count on Belgium's sympathy when it's worried about safeguarding its residents. [Image credit: AP Photo/Ezequiel Scagnetti]
Belgium hauls Facebook to court over excessive tracking
Belgium's privacy watchdog has sued Facebook, following through on a threat it made last month. It claimed at the time that the social network "tramples on European and Belgian privacy laws," and demanded that it make changes to avoid legal action. Its main concern was not the tracking of logged-in Facebook users, but the privacy invasion of non-users on unrelated sites with Facebook "cookies" and other trackers. "These recommendations are chiefly aimed at protecting internet users who are not Facebook members," said the commission's president.
Supersonic air keeps train tracks clear when weather sucks
Unlike forest fires, you personally can't do much to stop trainwrecks. With that in mind, the folks over at General Electric took a break from tracking your brain on BBQ and devised a way to keep one of the oldest forms of powered-transport on track in adverse weather conditions. You see, the Ardennes Forest in Belgium is legendary for its inhospitable conditions and to sidestep them and the mountains, trains were taking a longer, flatter and more expensive route. That wasn't too economical. So, GE implemented what it calls the Advanced Rail Cleaner for trains on the route. Essentially, the ARC is a module that sits at a precise spot ahead of the front axle and uses high-pressure air (rather than lasers) moving at supersonic speeds to clear away any moisture and debris.
