The shadow digital, culture, media and sport secretary has written to regulators to request that they halt Google’s reported acquisition of Fitbit.

On Monday, Reuters cited people familiar with the matter as confirming that Alphabet had made an offer to buy the wearable device maker for an undisclosed sum.

Tom Watson, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, has since written to both the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to conduct investigations into anticompetitive practices in the technology sector.

“I have long been concerned about the data monopolies that dominate our tech market, including Google,” Watson wrote. “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, meanwhile, the digital giants themselves remain unaccountable, unregulated, and see themselves as above the law.”

Watson continued: “This is not just a business deal, it’s a data grab - and that should worry us all - any such proposal must be subjected to the most rigorous possible scrutiny and must be fully investigated by the CMA.”

He went on to specifically complain about Google’s potential use of Fitbit biometric data.

“If this acquisition were to proceed, Google could have information on how we sleep, when we move, what we eat, on our breathing and our heartbeats – this data could hardly be more sensitive, but as is Google’s business model, all this information could then be used for micro-targeting, advertising, and behaviour modification.”

The Google Fit app has been available since 2014, but the company has never offered its own hardware, instead using third-parties like Samsung to produce Android Wear smartwatches.

The CMA has already announced a market study into whether Facebook and Google dominate online platforms and digital advertising.

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