EU Commission Opens Investigation Into Google-Fitbit Deal

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed acquition of Fitbit by Google under the EU Merger Regulation. "The Commission is concerned that the proposed transaction would further entrench Google's market position in the online advertising markets by increasing the already vast amount of data that Google could use for personalisation of the ads it serves and displays," the Commission said in a press release. EPIC has opposed the Google-Fitbit deal. EPIC brought the 2012 case against the FTC for the agency's failure to enforce the 2011 consent order against Google after the company consolidated user data across multiple services.