DOJ Probes Googles Fitbit Acquisition Over Consumer Health Data Concerns

As The New York Post first reported, the Alphabet-owned tech giant will face the DOJ as it assesses the deal, as opposed to the Federal Trade Commission , which typically oversees mergers.

The DOJ took over the probe due to a larger investigation of Googles ongoing antitrust issues, which the agency is already involved in.

According to familiar sources, the Department of Justice is concerned with all of the Fitbit user data that Google will have access to if the merger is completed.

The investigation also follows reports that Fitbit users are worried about their information being sold to Google without their consent, which surfaced in the wake of the November acquisition announcement. Furthermore, Googles buyout of the 12-year-old fitness startup has left the wearables industry concerned about a possible two-company domination of the category, given that the sector is currently led by the Apple Watch.

With Googles resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category, scale faster and make health even more accessible to everyone.

It seems the DOJs probe will likely put a damper on the two companies timeline, with legal approval needed in order to officially merge and the proposed date quickly approaching.

Original article