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Australia competition watchdog flags concerns over tech firms' use of user data

FILE PHOTO - A 3D printed Facebook logo is seen in front of displayed cyber code in this illustration taken March 22, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator on Monday outlined concerns about the ability of social media companies like Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to monetize content and the extent to which consumer data is used for targeted advertising. "The inquiry has also considered important questions about the range and reliability of news available via Google and Facebook," the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a statement. Australia's parliament passed a bill on Thursday to force tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Apple Inc to give police access to encrypted data, the most far-reaching such requirements imposed by a Western country. (Reporting by Devika Syamnath in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney)