Google completed the purchase of Fitbit, a manufacturer of wearable devices, for $ 2.1 billion, as announced by the two companies on Thursday.
When it went public, the deal raised concerns about the use of Fitbit users’ health data that could be used for targeted ads. In a statement, Google assured that the deal “has always been about devices, not data” and that the company will protect the privacy of Fitbit users.
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The companies got approval from the European Union to sign the deal in December 2020, after Google agreed to restrict the use of Fitbit users’ health data.
In that time, the European Commission said it had agreed concessions with Google, valid for 10 years with the possibility of another 10-year extension, addressing competition concerns, confirming a Reuters story in October.