Google completes $2.1bn Fitbit takeover after antitrust probe
Google today said it has completed its $2.1bn (£1.5bn) takeover of Fitbit, more than a year after the deal was announced.
The tie-up was subjected to a lengthy investigation by regulators amid concerns about Google’s market power and the use of people’s health data in targeted advertising.
But the European Commission last month cleared the merger subject to a number of concessions, including an agreement not to use health data for advertising for 10 years.
In a blogpost Google today said the deal, which was first announced in November 2019, had finally completed.
“This deal has always been about devices, not data, and we’ve been clear since the beginning that we will protect Fitbit users’ privacy,” wrote Rick Osterloh, Google’s vice president of devices and services.
“We worked with global regulators on an approach which safeguards consumers’ privacy expectations, including a series of binding commitments that confirm Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won’t be used for Google ads and this data will be separated from other Google ads data.”
Other concessions agreed with EU regulators included allowing users on third-party devices to access Fitbit and ensuring rival wearable products will still be able to use Android.
The takeover will give Google a strong presence in the wearables market. While the tech giant does not make its own hardware, it does develop the software used on many rival products.
In a statement today, Fitbit chief executive James Park reassured customers that the company would continue to protect data.
“The trust of our users will continue to be paramount, and we will maintain strong data privacy and security protections, giving you control of your data and staying transparent about what we collect and why,” he said.