Google-Fitbit probe shows EU is wising up to value of data

Silicon Valley giants used to snap up smaller tech firms at will, safe in the knowledge that antitrust regulators rarely prevented them from expanding into new industries.

The European Commission showed on Aug. 4 that those days are gone, opening an in-depth probe into Google’s $2.1 billion takeover of Fitbit Inc. — an investigation that focuses on the potentially huge value of its trove of customer data.

The EU authority will investigate how Google could bolster its “data advantage” in online advertising with information it collects from Fitbit fitness. The probe, which has an initial Dec. 9 deadline, raises the risk of a potential veto.