Google’s Fitbit deal headed for EU approval despite protests

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Google's $2.1 billion takeover of fitness-monitor maker Fitbit Inc. looks on track for European Union approval despite protests from consumer groups and rivals about the search giant's move into health data and devices.

The EU hasn't sent Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, a so-called statement of objections listing potential reasons to block the deal, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the review is confidential. The company won a five-day extension in the probe on Friday, which gives it more time to work with officials on improving the concessions, two of the people said.

While the European Commission could still send out a late filing, such a move would give the EU merger regulator very little time to formally flag concerns to Google or prepare a veto by its current Jan. 8 deadline to rule on the deal, said the people.

Progress on the Fitbit merger review would come amid mounting global scrutiny of big technology companies. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to file a monopoly-abuse lawsuit against Google soon, as Congress prepares legislation to address alleged antitrust violations by Google, Facebook Inc., Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

The EU in July announced it would conduct a longer probe of the Fitbit deal to look at how it might bolster Google's “data advantage” in online advertising, how it would affect digital health care and whether it would be more difficult for third-party devices to work with Google's Android phone software.

‘A Sign'

Not sending objections, which are key for any merger ban, “is a sign that the commission is closer to clearing this,” said Ioannis Kokkoris, a law professor at Queen Mary University of London.

He said that skipping