Government officials are concerned about how Google will leverage the its control of Fitbit data to become more powerful. The U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division is investigating the deal, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
Antitrust lawmakers are debating how privacy lapses could raise competition concerns, reports Bloomberg. In the European Union, officials expect the merger to undergo an extensive review, as there has been heightened pressure to crack down on technology giants. Authorities in Australia are also monitoring the deal.
One way antitrust enforcers could argue against the merger is by claiming that Fitbit’s user data will complement Google’s data and enable Google to maintain its monopoly, Bloomberg reports. Additionally, antitrust lawmakers could suggest that Google would fail to support Fitbit’s privacy protections over time.
Google declined to comment to Bloomberg, and Fitbit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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