Google can ward off EU antitrust probe into Fitbit deal with data pledge

Google may be able to stave off a full-scale EU antitrust investigation into its planned $2.1 billion bid for Fitbit by pledging not to use Fitbit’s health data to help it target ads, people familiar with the matter said.

The deal announced in November last year allows Google, a unit of Alphabet, to take on Apple andSamsung in the fitness tracking and smart watch market, alongside others including Huawei and Xiaomi.

Apple is the leader in the global wearables market with a 29.3 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2020, followed by Xiaomi, Samsung and Huawei, according to data from market research firm International Data Corp. Fitbit’s share of the market was 3 per cent.