The European Commission has started a full investigation into Google’s planned $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit.
It is concerned that the takeover of the smartwatch maker will give Google an unfair advantage in the online advertising market by “increasing the vast amount of data” that the company uses to offer personalised adverts.
A month-long preliminary review had sought the views of Google and Fitbit’s rivals on whether the deal would damage competition. Regulators decided that further investigation was justified, despite Google’s offer to not use Fitbit’s health data for targeted advertising.
“Our investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition,” Margrethe Vestager, the competition commissioner, said.