EU Regulators Set to Approve Google/Fitbit Deal

Following concessions by Google, the EU looks ready to approve its acquisition of Fitbit.

Google made headlines in November with its plans to purchase wearable company Fitbit for $2.1 billion. Despite the company’s promise to protect user privacy, the deal was immediately met with scrutiny by US and EU officials.

According to Reuters, however, it appears Google has managed to assuage concerns through concessions. The company promised to restrict how Fitbit data is used, in relation to Google ads, and to improve the monitoring process. The company also committed to supporting other manufacturers and services.

“We’re also formalizing our longstanding commitment to supporting other wearable manufacturers on Android and to continue to allow Fitbit users to connect to third party services via APIs (application programming interfaces) if they want to,” Google said in a statement.

Given that the EU is generally stricter than the US in regulatory matters, winning EU approval is an encouraging sign that the deal will proceed unhindered.