The European Commission on Tuesday launched an in-depth investigation into Google’s $2.1 billion deal to acquire fitness tracker Fitbit. The investigation attempts to find out whether the purchase provides an unfair marketing advantage to Google. 

“Our investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition,” EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. 

The acquisition, which happened in November last year, had spelled trouble for Apple and Samsung, who were leading the fitness tracking and smartwatch industry. European Union is concerned that acquiring Fitbit’s user data will strengthen Google’s already powerful position in targeted advertising, AFP reported. 

“The use of wearable devices by European consumers is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. This will go hand in hand with the exponential growth of data generated through these devices. This data provides key insights about the life and the health situation of the users of these devices,” Vestager said in a European Commission statement announcing the probe. 

The European Commission will pronounce its verdict on Google by December 9. Since she became commissioner in 2014, Vestager has slapped Google with a combined $9.5 billion in antitrust fines, accusing it of abusing its dominant position in advertising and the Android smartphone operating system. 

The commission has acknowledged that Google has created a data silo to keep users’ health data separate from its advertising platforms. But it warned, “that the data silo commitment proposed by Google is insufficient to clearly dismiss the serious doubts identified at this stage as to the effects of the transaction.”

Meanwhile, Google responded that the deal was about devices and not data. Earlier, the US Congress’ antitrust hearing had accused Google of destroying user privacy and anonymity on the internet.