Takeovers of smaller rivals and their data sets by digital platforms such as Google, may pose a threat to consumers’ choice and privacy, Chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission Rod Sims says in a speech at the Consumer Policy Research Conference.

Louisiana was targeted by an attempted ransomware attack that affected some of the state’s server computers, governor John Bel Edwards said in a tweet.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from Justice Dept Inspector General Michael Horowitz in a public hearing on Dec. 11 regarding alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, panel Chairman Lindsey Graham said in statement.

A group of top Senate Democrats said on Monday that any federal privacy legislation should include the possibility that violators will face criminal penalties or consumer lawsuits.

Facebook Inc. has asked a California federal district court to toss a lawsuit alleging that it tracked user locations without consent, saying the plaintiffs didn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Germany expects some equipment suppliers will fail to meet tougher security requirements for the country’s fifth-generation mobile phone network, according to the minister in charge of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office.