Google’s bid for Fitbit investigated by EU amid fears over health data

Google’s bid for Fitbit investigated by EU amid fears over health data

Google's planned $2.1bn (£1.6bn) takeover of smartwatch maker Fitbit will be investigated by the European Commission.

It comes amid concerns about how health data could strengthen the search engine's power in online advertising.

EU regulators are worried the deal may give Google an advantage over rivals by having access to data from Fitbit's fitness trackers that can be used for personalised adverts.











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EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager wants to ensure the deal does not distort competition





The commission said: "The data collected via wrist-worn wearable devices appears, at this stage of the commission's review of the transaction, to be an important advantage in the online advertising markets.

"By increasing the data advantage of Google in the personalisation of the ads it serves via its search engine and displays on other internet pages, it would be more difficult for rivals to match Google's online advertising services.



"Thus, the transaction would raise barriers to entry and expansion for Google's competitors for these services, to the ultimate detriment of advertisers and publishers that would face higher prices and have less choice."

The commission will focus on online search advertising where it says Google is dominant in most of Europe and on