Google’s Plan to Buy Fitbit – Should We Be Alarmed?

Google revealed its plans to buy the fitness tracker company Fitbit in November 2019. If you own a Fitbit, you will be aware that it collects some very personal data – like your sleep patterns, physical stats, a log of what you’re eating, as well as contact and location information. What would it mean if Google added all this data to its already extensive tracking of consumer behaviours? The proposal does have to pass regulators first. And the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has expressed concerns about what the potential merger could mean for both competition and our personal data. The Daily’s Willy Russo spoke with Dr Katharine Kemp – Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at UNSW – about some alarming and far-reaching implications.