things as estimating calories burned. Some
people use Fitbit’s app to record what they eat
and how much water they drink. Women can
track their periods.
Fitbit has 28 million active users worldwide and
has sold more than 100 million devices.
Google, meanwhile, makes software for use
in other manufacturers’ wearable devices, but
those products haven’t gained much traction
in the face of competition from Fitbit, Apple,
Samsung and others. And Google doesn’t sell a
device of its own.
The deal to buy Fitbit could give Google a
needed boost.
“Google doesn’t want to be left out of the party,”
said analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities. “If
you look at what Apple has done with wearables,
it’s a missing piece of the puzzle for Google.”
Google’s pledge that it won’t sell ads using
Fitbit health data is a continuation of promises
previously made by Fitbit.
Privacy experts, though, were skeptical.
Consumer Reports health privacy expert Dena
Mendelsohn said she is concerned that people
enrolled in wellness programs through their
employers that use Fitbit devices could lose
control over their data.
“While a person may not have had concerns
about Fitbit holding their data, they may have
concerns over Google holding their data,”
Mendelsohn said.
Google’s promise is also unlikely to stop it from
gathering other information from Fitbit devices.
For example, Fitbit has GPS models that could
track users’ locations. That could help Google
know that a runner stopped at a coffee shop on
Image:Diane Bondareff