Google Buys Fitbit, but 'Won't Use Data for Ads'

Google has acquired wearable fitness / wellness tracker Fitbit in a deal valued at approximately $2.1 billion. Fitbit has issued an assurance that it will continue to put users in control of their data and that its health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads.

Fitbit uses its data to deliver personalized guidance to help its 28 million active users reach their health goals, powered by what it claims is one of the world's largest databases of activity, exercise and sleep data. The company confirmed in a statement, that consumer trust is 'paramount' to Fitbit, that it never sells personal information, and that it will remain transparent about the data it collects and why.

James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit, says that with Google's resources and platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category. Rick Osterloh, SVP, Devices & Services at Google, adds: 'Fitbit has been a true pioneer in the industry and has created terrific products, experiences and a vibrant community of users. We're looking forward to working with the incredible talent at Fitbit, and bringing together the best hardware, software and AI, to build wearables to help even more people around the world'.

In the past few years, Google has been involved in its share of privacy lawsuits. Just last week the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued the search giant after it allegedly misled customers over location data collection. Back in January, French data regulator CNIL fined the company a record Euro 50m for breaching the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, with the judge claiming Google had failed to inform users of its methods for collecting data to personalize advertising.

Web sites: www.google.com and www.fitbit.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.