GOOGLE FLEXES WITH FITBIT ACQUISITION

Google data and tracking just got bigger. On 15 January, Fitbit, a leader in wearable health and fitness analytics tracking technology, announced it was being bought out by Google, the world’s largest tech and human data-mining company. The move will expand Google’s already huge capacity to track and mine human data.
Founded in 2009, Fitbit has become synonymous with wearable fitness devices and associated apps, which allow users to track everything from heart rate to sleep time and quality, to periods of daily exercise or even just movement (in the guise of step counts), and more.
The company has sold more than 120 million devices in over 100 countries since 2009. The company estimates it has tracked 275 trillion steps and logged 15 billion hours of sleep of its users, among other data.
A statement sent out to users by Fitbit CEO James Park about the Google buy-out said in part:

“I have no doubt that this acquisition will create so many opportunities. But I also want you to know that many of the things you know and love about Fitbit will remain the same. We’ll stay committed to doing what’s right, to putting your health and wellness at the center of everything we do and to offering a no-one- size-fits-all approach with choices that work across both Android and iOS.
The trust of our users will continue to be paramount, and we will maintain strong data privacy and security protections, giving you control of your data and staying transparent about what we collect and why. Google will continue to protect Fitbit users’ privacy and has made a series of binding commitments with global regulators, confirming that Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won’t be used for Google ads and this data will be kept separate from other Google ad data.”

Park also sought to reassure the Fitbit user base that Google would permit Fitbit customers to connect to third-party services in conjunction with their devices, as opposed to being locked into only Google’s offerings of health and wellness apps. He said this and other commitments by Google demonstrated that the technology giant would be an “ideal” partner to help further the Fitbit mission to make everyone in the world healthier.
TREND FORECAST: Across the business spectrum, from heavy industry to high-tech, from retail to restaurants, the “Bigs” will continue to gobble up the smalls… growing gigantically. There will be new rounds of anti-trust movements that will accelerate as the “Greatest Depression” worsens and “populist” political movements gain strength.