You might assume that the best antivirus programs are entirely trustworthy, but that’s not always the case. Avast, a widely recognized antivirus solution for PCs, was discovered to have been secretly collecting and selling user data to third-party companies for six years.
After an investigation, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Avast $16.5 million and prohibited them from engaging in such practices in the future. Even if you weren’t using Avast, your data could still have been compromised as several antivirus software programs were involved.
According to the FTC, Avast’s subsidiary Jumpshot had been selling users’ browsing data to more than 100 companies between 2014 and January 2020, amassing over eight petabytes of data. This included sensitive information like health, religious beliefs, and financial details.
When PCMag and Motherboard (Vice) investigated Avast’s data selling, it was revealed that individual users could be easily identified through collaborations with advertising companies.
The FTC declared that Jumpshot generated significant revenues by selling data collected through Avast without proper user notification. Avast failed to inform users that their browsing data was being collected and sold, contrary to its privacy protection promises.
Avast’s parent company, Gen Digital, owns various internet and PC security products, including Norton, Avast, and AVG among others. In response to the FTC’s actions, Avast stated they disagreed with the allegations but were committed to resolving the issue and continuing to serve their customers.
In addition to the monetary fine and restrictions on data sales, Avast will have to inform affected users about the previous sale of their data.
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