Back in November of last year, Google went forward and made its move as it tried to acquire the renowned fitness tracker manufacturer in Fitbit. The bid that the search engine giant has made in $2.1 billion has come under great scrutiny as more and more concerns over antitrust and privacy arise.
At the current moment in time, it is in fact the European Union (EU) that is readying itself for a launch investigation with regards to the nature of the deal itself. The regulatory body has expressed concerns that the proposed $2.1 billion acquisition of the fitness tracker by the search engine giant will lead to sensitive health data being collected and get into the hands of Google. And while this may not seem too alarming on the outside, this is in fact viewed by many as means of strengthening the company’s hold and dominance over the advertising business.
The EU share proceeded on to put up a 47-page questionnaire which is expected to be filled not only by potential rivals, but also by other stakeholders of both the companies – going on to question the potential of the deal so as to “reinforce Google’s dominance in general search and online advertising.”
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Some part is of course directed at developers, while some is also directed at users as the regulator sought out to know as to how this deal will go on to impact developers as well as the choices that customers have to deal with as there continues to be a price hike for the device.
Moreover, consumer groups too have gotten into the action – those of whom are not affiliated to any government proceeded on to voice their opinion over the acquisition. Amongst the groups was also included BEUC – which goes on to unite the EU consumer advocates, as well as the Consumer Federation of America based in the US and also the digital rights groups based in both Mexico and Brazil, as well as Australia.
