To appease EU regulators, Google has promised it won’t combine data obtained from Fitbit’s wearable devices for users in the region with the company’s advertising business.
(Photo by Zlata Ivleva/PCMag) The European Commission today approved Google’s $2.1 billion deal to acquire Fitbit, with conditions. Google can buy Fitbit as long as the tech giant avoids using the wearable maker’s user health data for advertising purposes. EU regulators have been scrutinizing the deal for months over concerns the merger would undermine competition in the tech sector. A major worry is that Google will tap Fitbit’s customer data to create more personalized ads, giving the tech giant an even greater edge in the online advertising industry. The commission also feared Google might cut access to Fitbit’s API for third-party apps and services. “Such a strategy would come especially at the detriment of start-ups in the nascent European digital healthcare space,” the commission said.
