According to two people familiar with the matter, Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit is facing resistance, mainly because competitors and customers believe that Google’s concessions to EU antitrust regulators are not enough.
Alphabet’s Google proposed last week to restrict the use of Fitbit data for Google advertising and will closely monitor this process.
Google also proposed that it will provide competitors with access to Android software (API) to make it easier for them to connect to the Android platform, and stated that third parties will continue to access Fitbit user data with the user’s consent.
The European Commission is currently seeking feedback from Google’s competitors and customers before deciding whether to accept or make more demands. Other sources said that the new concessions may help Google obtain EU licenses.
However, some people familiar with the matter revealed that some competitors and customers plan to ask EU competition enforcers to make more demands .
One of the people familiar with the matter said: “The definition of wearable API is too narrow.” He said that Google should expand the scope of applications and take into account new features that will enter the market in the future.
Google’s 10-year data promise has also been criticized by critics in advertising. Another person familiar with the matter said: “Why limit the remedy of data separation to 10 years? This is a bad idea. Google is making long-term investments. The so-called ten years may be tomorrow.”
The respondent (Google) must give feedback by next week. The European Commission plans to make a final decision on the transaction before December 23, but the ruling may also be made earlier.