ghacks:
Avast has been fined by the FTC for using its privacy software to harvest and sell user data
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has found Avast guilty for using its privacy apps to harvest and sell user data. The company is also banned from selling or licensing browsing data for advertising purposes.
This isn't the first time Avast has been caught for such an offense. You may recall a similar issue that happened in 2020. Motherboard (Vice) and PCMag began a joint investigation into claims that Avast had been using its subsidiary company, Jumpshot, to spy on users. The report said that Avast's security products tracked user behavior, clicks and their activity across the web. The user data which was collected through this process was then sold to more than 100 third-party companies including Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, Home Depot, McKinsey. This led to Jumpshot being shut down.
The company, based in the U.K. and Czech Republic, offers various digital products and services. Besides its in-house antivirus, Avast also owns AVG, Avira, and Norton. It also owns CCleaner, a browser called Avast Secure Browser, extensions for Firefox, Chrome. It even has multiple VPN services such as Avast SecureLine VPN, and HMA (formerly HideMyAss!).
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Avast has been fined by the FTC for using its privacy software to harvest and sell user data - gHacks Tech News
The U.S. FTC has fined Avast for collecting user data via its privacy software and selling the information to third-parties.
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