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DOJ & Australian Watchdog Still Not OK With Google’s Fitbit Purchase

By  |  October 18, 2021

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission and the US Department of Justice are still probing the US$2.1 billion deal between Google and Fitbit expressed Rod Sims.

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    Sims explained Friday, October 15, that his agency was still determining whether the deal presents privacy issues regarding the tech giant’s huge store of consumer data.

    Google agreed to restrict the use of Fitbit data in its ad targeting to gain approval from the European Commission in September 2020.

    Related: Vestager Defends Google Fitbit Data Deal Approval

    The Fitbit acquisition represents Google’s major foray into wearables, it shares a wearable tech platform with Samsung, amid other major tech and fitness companies pushing into the category.

    Last month, Google filed an appeal of a US$5 billion fine issued by the European Commission over antitrust claims regarding its Android operating system — the largest such fine ever issued by the governing body.

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