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The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) on Thursday enjoin it will cast out the antivirus giant Avast from selling consumers ’ web browse data to adman after Avast claimed its production would foreclose its users from online tracking .
Avast also conciliate the Union governor ’s charges for $ 16.5 million , which the FTC enounce will provide redress for Avast ’s exploiter whose sensitive browsing data was improperly sold on to ad giants and data brokers .
“ Avast promised users that its product would protect the privacy of their browsing data but deliver the opposite , ” articulate Samuel Levine , music director of the FTC ’s Bureau of Consumer Protection , ina statement on Thursday . “ Avast ’s bait - and - shift surveillance tactics compromised consumer ’ seclusion and break the legal philosophy , ” said Levine .
The FTC said Avast collected client ’ online browsing habit for years , include their World Wide Web lookup and which site they visited , using Avast ’s own web internet browser extension service , which the antivirus giant claimed would “ shield your privacy ” by blocking online trailing cookies .
But the FTC aver that Avast deal consumers ’ crop datum through its now - shutter subsidiary , Jumpshot , to more than a hundred other companies , making Avast ten of millions of buck in tax income .
The regulator say that the browse data that Jumpshot sold revealed consumers ’ religious beliefs , health concerns , political leaning , their location , and other sensitive entropy .
A joint investigation byVice NewsandPCMagin January 2020 revealed that Jumpshot was selling the highly sensitive web crop information to company , include Google , Yelp , Microsoft , Home Depot , and consulting giant McKinsey . The reports found Jumpshot was also betray entree to its users ’ snap information , include the specific entanglement contact that its substance abuser were clicking on .
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At the meter , Avast had more than 430 million active user worldwide . Jumpshot said it had admission to information from 100 million devices .
Avast shutter its Jumpshot subsidiarydays surveil the joint Vice - PCMag report .
Avast merged with Norton LifeLock in an $ 8.1 billion slew in 2021and now return under the parent troupe Gen Digital , which alsoowns the computer utility app CCleaner .
When reached on Thursday for comment , Gen Digital representative Jess Monney provided TechCrunch with a instruction , say : “ When Avast voluntarily closed Jumpshot in 2020 it had ceased these practices . The operational viands of the colony are consistent with Avast ’s current secrecy and surety curriculum . ”
Avast ’s statement said it take issue with the regime ’s “ allegement and characterization of the facts , ” without specifying how or why , but that the company was “ proud of to resolve this matter . ”
CCleaner says hackers steal users ’ personal information during MOVEit mass - hack
