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Ransomware hits natural gas operator, new cord-cutting numbers, and more in this week's news

This week's technology headlines included a ransomware attack on a natural gas operator, new cord-cutting numbers, and more.



Reuters: Google Users In UK To Lose EU Data Protection

By: Joseph Menn

Google is planning to move its British users’ accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, placing them under U.S. jurisdiction instead, sources said.


CNET: Google Sued By New Mexico AG For Allegedly Collecting Location Data, Contact Lists From Students

By: Richard Nieva

The state's attorney general says Google gathered the personal information from Chromebooks the company provided for free.


Buzzfeed: How Saudi Arabia Infiltrated Twitter

By: Alex Kantrowitz

From May 2015 until he was exposed that December, Ali Alzabarah spied for the Saudi Arabian government inside Twitter, a criminal complaint from the FBI alleges.


CNBC: Cyberattack on NRC Health Sparks Privacy Concerns About Private Patient Records Stored By US Hospitals

By: Christina Farr

NRC Health, which administers patient survey tools to hospitals, experienced a cyberattack on Feb. 11 and shut down its “entire environment” to contain the issue.


The Verge: Health Apps Can Change Their Terms of Service Without Users’ Knowledge

By: Nicole Wetsman

Companies developing health apps can unilaterally decide to change their terms of service and might only post the changes to their website or let their customers know about the changes via email — without giving them a chance to agree to the new terms.


Wired: Signal Is Finally Bringing Its Secure Messaging to the Masses

By: Andy Greenberg

The encryption app is putting a $50 million infusion from WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton to good use, building out features to help it go mainstream.


Vice: Google Is Letting People Find Invites to Some Private WhatsApp Groups

By: Joseph Cox

With particular Google searches, anyone can discover and join hundreds of thousands of WhatsApp groups.


Ars Technica: US Natural Gas Operator Shuts Down For 2 days After Being Infected By Ransomware

By: Dan Goodin

Infection spread to site's OT network that monitors and controls physical processes.


Ars Technica: Driver Stranded After Connected Rental Car Can’t Call Home

By: Jonathan Gitlin

Tech reporter from The Guardian gets stuck in the boonies by the Internet of Things.


Variety: Traditional Pay-TV Operators Lost Record 6 Million Subscribers In 2019 As Cord-Cutting Picks Up Speed

By: Todd Spangler

The U.S. satellite and cable TV business declined at an unprecedented rate last year — with traditional pay-TV providers dropping a staggering 6 million customers, a 7% year-over-year decline.


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