EU antitrust regulators on Thursday approved with conditions Alphabet unit Google's $2.1 billion bid for Fitbit after the world's most popular internet search engine pledged not to hinder rivals and also not to use Fitbit's health data for its advertising.

The European Commission said the concessions, valid for ten years, addressed competition concerns. The deal has triggered criticism from privacy advocates on both sides of the Atlantic, consumer organisations and Google rivals about the company's clout following the takeover.