Avast, one of the most popular antivirus programs on the market, has been selling its users’ data for a long time. The company is now being asked to pay for this.
Specifically, it is about the browser histories of around 100 million users, which Avast forwarded to its subsidiary “Jumpshot” between April and July 2019 and from there sold it to third parties. The auditors concluded that Internet browsing history, even if not complete, may constitute personal data because at least some of the data subjects could be re-identified.
In addition, users were misinformed about the data transfers in question, as Avast claimed that the data transferred was anonymized and used exclusively for statistical trend analysis. This results in a violation of the GDPR, which is punished with 13.9 million euros at the headquarters in the Czech Republic.
In the USA, Avast also has to pay a hefty fine. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking $16.5 million from the company. A statement denounces Avast’s double standards. The antivirus software provider claimed to protect users from online tracking and at the same time passed on personal data.
In tests, however, Avast always performs well. For example, Avast One Essential was named the best free antivirus program for Mac users by Stiftung Warentest in March of this year.