In brief: Google has been pursuing an acquisition of fitness tech company Fitbit for quite some time now, but the bargain has been held upward by a lengthy privacy-related investigation from the European Committee. However, the investigation has finally come to a close, and Google has been able to move forward: information technology's at present the new possessor of Fitbit.

After months of discussions between Google, Fitbit, and the EC, a bargain has finally been struck, and Google officially owns Fitbit. This news was announced separately today by both Fitbit itself and its new search giant overlord. Fitbit's post largely focuses on the ways in which beingness caused by Google will pb to a brighter future for the visitor and its users while downplaying the potential privacy risks.

"On our own, we pushed the premises of what was possible from the wrist, pioneering step, heart rate, sleep and stress tracking," Fitbit CEO and co-founder James Park writes. "With admission to Google's incredible resources, knowledge and global platform, the possibilities are truly limitless."

Park goes on to say that user trust will "continue to be paramount," and their strong data privacy and security protections volition be maintained mail-merger (partially due to the European Commission's demands, we'd imagine).

"Google will continue to protect Fitbit users' privacy and has fabricated a series of binding commitments with global regulators," Park assures customers. "...Fitbit users' wellness and wellness data won't be used for Google ads and this information will exist kept split up from other Google advertisement data."

It remains to be seen whether or not these lofty claims will agree true in the long term. The European Commission's rules for this merger are good for the adjacent decade, but as nosotros all know by at present, big tech companies are e'er looking for new and creative ways to skirt regulations.

The transaction between Google and Fitbit was reportedly worth nearly $2.1 billion in total, which should event in a nice payout for Fitbit's stakeholders and founders.