A few watchdog groups including Public Citizen and the Center for Digital Democracy want Google's acquisition of Fitbit to be blocked by the Justice Department.
What you need to know
According to a report from the , the Justice Department will be reviewing Google's plans of buying wearable maker Fitbit for possible antitrust issues. Google had announced last month that it had Fitbit for $2.1 billion.
Some watchdog groups such as Public Citizen and the Center for Digital Democracy have raised concerns over the deal, saying it will lead to Google gaining access to even more private data about American consumers, including sensitive health information.
In a letter sent to the FTC last month, the groups wrote:
While the Federal Trade Commission was in charge of reviewing most Google deals in the past, the DOJ is reviewing the Fitbit deal as it is already probing the search giant for . The Justice Department had also reviewed Google's acquisition of cloud analytics startup Looker this fall, which was cleared last month. A DC source told the New York Post that "the DOJ's handling of Fitbit will give an early read on the Google investigation."
What you need to know
- The U.S. Justice Department will reportedly review Google's acquisition of wearable maker Fitbit for possible antitrust issues.
- Google had formally announced its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit on November 1.
- Several watchdog groups have requested antitrust enforcers to block the deal saying it would give Google access to "even more data about American consumers."
According to a report from the , the Justice Department will be reviewing Google's plans of buying wearable maker Fitbit for possible antitrust issues. Google had announced last month that it had Fitbit for $2.1 billion.
Some watchdog groups such as Public Citizen and the Center for Digital Democracy have raised concerns over the deal, saying it will lead to Google gaining access to even more private data about American consumers, including sensitive health information.
In a letter sent to the FTC last month, the groups wrote:
While the Federal Trade Commission was in charge of reviewing most Google deals in the past, the DOJ is reviewing the Fitbit deal as it is already probing the search giant for . The Justice Department had also reviewed Google's acquisition of cloud analytics startup Looker this fall, which was cleared last month. A DC source told the New York Post that "the DOJ's handling of Fitbit will give an early read on the Google investigation."