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

Google could allay competition worries by offering a binding pledge to EU competition enforcers along the lines of its promise last year not to use Fitbit’s health and wellness data for Google ads, sources said. — Reuters

BRUSSELS: Google may be able to stave off a full-scale EU antitrust investigation into its planned US$2.1bil (RM8.95bil) bid for fitness tracker maker Fitbit by pledging not to use Fitbit’s health data for its ads, people familiar with the matter said.

The deal announced in November last year allows Google, a unit of Alphabet, to take on Apple and Samsung in the fitness trackers and smartwatches market, where other players include Huawei and Xiaomi.