It should be a change in 4.4

The data indicator arrows will show up in the quick settings pane, but were removed from the status bar to conserve battery (apparently it used significant CPU cycles to maintain)

If you're the rooting type there's likely Roms that have it enabled

 

Google disagrees...

https://plus.google.com/+DanSandler/posts/NQ1CEhyKMah

 

alostpacket had a great post on this subject here: http://androidforums.com/motorola-m...eleases-4-4-verizon-moto-x-2.html#post6280476

Key quote:

I rather agree. I find it useful to know that there is some activity going on at a glance. Even an iOS-ish spinning wheel in the status bar could alert you to network activity of some sort, even if it wasn't an arrow on each interface icon.

 

That's why they got rid of the changing notification bar colors for displaying I'd you are connected to Google services, not the data indicators

 

Google said it was the driver for both decisions. Again, see this: A Google Engineer Explains Why KitKat Has White Status Bar Icons And Only Shows Connectivity In Quick Settings

But also read alostpacket's post that I linked above for a sort-of counter-point.

 

The status bar reason was confusion, not battery saving according to the article you linked (its the same one I had previously read that I was basing my comment on)

" In KitKat, the status icons are white all the time. If you want to see your status, it's in the Quick Settings and orange is used to denote no connectivity. Google did this primarily because most users didn't know what the colors meant."

 

You're right. I get one demerit for reading comprehension...