Five tech stories you may have missed last week
NHS data breaches, abrupt exec departures and a robot monk are just some of the stories that might have passed you by last week
Welcome to CRN's weekly round-up of the moves, fails and quirkier stories from the tech industry last week.
1. 150,000 NHS patients hit by data breach
The BBC reported that a coding error was being blamed for 150,000 patients having their confidential data breached. The patients had requested that their confidential health information be used only to provide them with care. The software used by GPs to record such objections failed to pass on those preferences to NHS England's IT provider.
2. Google Cloud COO departs after only seven months in the role
Diane Bryant left her role as COO at Google Cloud after less than a year at the company, reported TechCrunch. After 25 years at Intel, heading up its datacentre group, she left to take up her new job at Google Cloud last year.
Eyebrows were raised at the timing of her sudden departure in the wake of former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich's resignation over a former affair with a more junior colleague.
3. Samsung's phantom texts
A curious quirk on the Android platform reared its head this week as users complained of their Galaxy S8 and S9 devices sending photos to random contacts, reported the Guardian. The photo messages are sent silently and don't leave any traces, with the user unaware that they were even sent at all.
4. Viral post blows Google Cloud away
A customer complaint about Google Cloud has caused the company to review its abuse-prevention process. The complaint was written anonymously by someone claiming to be responsible or overseeing hundreds of wind turbines and solar plants. The source claimed Google blocked the system's website, app and other services without warning due to "potential suspicious activity". The source then said that Google threatened to shut down the system for good if it did not receive appropriate documents.
5. RoboMonk
A Chinese temple unveiled its robotic monk to spread the word at an event in Huangzhou, China. The 2ft robot is designed to look like a monk and help answer questions for visitors to Beijing's Longquan Temple.