EU clears Google's $2.1B takeover of Fitbit, with conditions
EU regulators cleared Google's plan to buy fitness tracking device maker Fitbit after the company promised to silo off user data and not use it for advertising. The EU was initially worried the deal would expand Googleโs โdata advantageโ and raise barriers for rivals in the online ad industry. The Silicon Valley tech giant's commitments included a promise to silo off Fitbit user data from other Google data and not use it for advertising purposes. Google also vowed to continue giving outside health and fitness apps to access Fitbit data. โThere is a serious risk that Google will exploit Fitbit usersโ data, including sensitive health data, in several markets," said Director General Monique Goyens.
Your Fitbit could help health officials predict flu outbreaks in real-time
It may help health officials stop the flu from spreading, too. This marks the first time heart rate trackers and sleep data have been used to predict the flu or any infectious disease in real time, according to the study authors. Privacy, consumer groups seek to block Google-Fitbit dealIf a user's weekly average resting heart rate was above their average and their weekly average sleep was not below their average, they were identified as abnormal. The researchers were able to see improvement in real-time surveillance and influenza predictions at the state level. "We demonstrate the potential for metrics from wearable devices to enhance flu surveillance and consequently improve public health responses.