Tom Watson, the shadow secretary for digital, culture, media and sport, has urged the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) regulator to freeze the acquisition of FitBit by tech giant Google.
According to Watson, acquisitions such as that of Fitbit by Google should be paused “until the CMA’s market study is concluded and its recommendations are implemented”.
Watson wrote that he has long been concerned about the data monopolies that dominate the tech market, including Google.
"These companies hold and gather an unprecedented amount of data on users which is then monetised through micro-targeting and advertising to amass huge profits and power," he said. "Meanwhile, the digital giants themselves remain unaccountable, unregulated and see themselves as above the law. They have run rings around regulation for far too long".
Watson’s concern is that the deal between Google and Fitbit would not just constitute a business deal. “It’s a...