Our picksGoogle’s tracking obsession; dredging & flooding; body-scanners on subways, and more

EPIC to FTC: Google’s location tracking violates consent order (EPIC)
Following a report that Google tracks user location even when users opt-out, EPIC wrote to the FTC that Google violated the 2011 consent order. EPIC said “Google’s subsequent changes to its policy, after it has already obtained location data on Internet users, fails to comply with the 2011 order.” EPIC also told the FTC that “The Commission’s inactions have made the Internet less safe and less secure for users and consumers.” The 2011 settlement with Google followed a detailed complaint brought by EPIC and a coalition of consumer organizations. The groups charged that Google had engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices when it changed the privacy settings of Gmail users and opted them into Google Buzz. The FTC agreed with the consumer groups, Google entered into a settlement and Buzz was shuttered. FTC chairman John Liebowitz said at the time, “When companies make privacy pledges, they need to honor them. This is a tough settlement that ensures that Google will honor its commitments to consumers and build strong privacy protections into all of its operations.”

Germany: No preparations made in case of alien landing (AP)
The German government says it has made no preparations for the possibility that aliens might land in the European country. In a response to questions from opposition Green Party lawmaker Dieter Janecek, the government said “there are no protocols or plans for a possible first contact with alien life.”

Science Says: Hotter weather turbocharges US West wildfires (Seth Borenstein, AP)
As temperatures rise in the U.S. West, so do the flames. The years with the most acres burned by wildfires have some of the hottest temperatures, an Associated Press analysis of fire and weather data found. As human-caused climate change has warmed the world over the past 35 years, the land consumed by flames has more than doubled. Experts say the way global warming worsens wildfires comes down to the basic dynamics of fire. Fires need ignition, oxygen and fuel. And what’s really changed is fuel — the trees, brush and other plants that go up in flames.

PPD-20 elimination opens arguments over how U.S. should conduct offensive hacking operations (Sean Lyngaas, Cyberscoop)
President Donald Trump has rescinded a key policy directive that governed the approval process for cyberattacks conducted by the U.S. government, potentially opening the door to more offensive operations, an administration official familiar with the matter confirmed to CyberScoop.

Colorado’s 2018 wildfire season is one of the worst on record, and it’s not over yet (Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post)
The only larger wildfire season in Colorado in terms of acres burned was in 2002, when 926,502 acres were destroyed.

Is dredging a solution to flooding problems? (Vicki Terwilliger, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.)
Poorly devised, randomly executed or under-engineered dredging, deepening or widening of streams has proven to be ineffective in preventing subsequent flooding.

Los Angeles will be the first city to use body scanners on subways. Which could be next? (J. Brian Charles, Governing)
Several cities and transit agencies have been working with the TSA to test the security devices.