Google gets EU approval for €1.7bn Fitbit bid amid tech crackdown

Google announced its plans to buy Fitbit in November 2019, describing the bid for the smartwatch maker as a boost to its lagging hardware business. 

Google won EU approval for its $2.1bn (€1.7bn) takeover of health tracker Fitbit, days after regulators proposed tougher rules to curb powerful technology firms’ push into new services.

The European Commission said Google’s pledge to maintain access for rival health and fitness apps and device makers for 10 years removed its concerns about the US tech giant’s move into health data and devices. 

Smaller rivals previously complained that the company’s promises might not go far enough to stop Google shutting off access in future to rival products or services.

“The commitments will determine how Google can use the data collected for ad purposes, how interoperability between competing wearables and Android will be safeguarded, and how users can continue to share health and fitness data, if they choose to,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief. 

Approval comes in a harsh climate when Google and others are facing mounting scrutiny of acquisitions that help them push into new areas. 

Google announced its plans to buy Fitbit in November 2019, describing the bid for the smartwatch maker as a boost to its lagging hardware business. 

Google said it understood “that regulators wanted to look closely at this transaction, and we have worked constructively with them to resolve their concerns, including the set of legally binding commitments.” 

• Bloomberg