Groups warn against Google's purchase of Fitbit

Be wary - the warning from twenty advocacy groups over Google's $2.1 billion bid for fitness tracker firm Fitbit.

The groups from the U.S., Europe and Latin America among others signed a statement on Wednesday (July 1).

They're worried about privacy and competition issues.

The 20 organisations - which include U.S.-based Public Citizen, Access Now from Europe and the Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense - say the deal would expand the already considerable clout in digital markets of Alphabet's Google.

They added that acquiring Fitbit would give Google intimate information about users, such as how many steps they take daily, the quality of their sleep and their heart rates.

The statement added that "regulators must assume that Google will in practice utilize the entirety of Fitbit’s unique, highly sensitive data set in combination with its own."

A Google spokesperson said the tech wearables space was crowded and that the deal is "about devices, not data."

Fitbit's market share has been threatened by deep-pocketed companies like Apple and Samsung.

EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 20th whether to clear the deal with or without concessions, or open a longer investigation.

In Washington, Google is under antitrust investigation for allegedly using its massive market power to harm smaller competitors.