The Google Fitbit deal after being scrutinized by regulators was finally confirmed this week. Fitbit, the maker of the Smartwatch, has been bought by Google after the sale was finally approved by regulators.
The $2 billion Fitbit deal was first announced in 2019 and had raised plenty of speculations. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) was the body responsible for the oversight of the application of Europe’s strict data protection rules. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had thereby raised its concerns over the privacy of Fitbit users’ data.
This Fitbit deal could have possibly given Google access to a huge amount of its users’ data. However, Google has agreed to not use the users’ health and location data for advertising. This also followed an investigation into the sale by the European Commission and only later, the deal was approved.
Google states Fitbit deal is about devices, not data
Google has assured the protection of Fitbit users’ data via a blog and declared its purchase as “about the devices, not the data.”
Rick Osterloh, senior vice president, devices and services said, “We worked with global regulators on an approach which safeguards consumers’ privacy expectations, including a series of binding commitments that confirm Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won’t be used for Google ads and this data will be separated from other Google ads data.”
Google has also agreed that Fitbit data will stay away from information used that is specifically used for advertising.
Fitbit CEO guarantees its users
Fitbit CEO, James Park, reassured the users’ about their data security and privacy via email. “The trust of our users will continue to be paramount, and we will maintain strong data privacy and security protections, giving you control of your data and staying transparent about what we collect and why.”
He added, “Google will continue to protect Fitbit users’ privacy and has made a series of binding commitments with global regulators, confirming that Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won’t be used for Google ads and this data will be kept separate from other Google ad data.”
