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.
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.
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.
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.