Avast fined $165M for selling consumer browsing data

TLDR:

• Avast fined $16.5 million for selling consumer browsing data
• FTC found Avast collected personal data through its antivirus product and sold it to over 100 third parties

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Avast a $16.5 million fine for selling and licensing consumer browsing data to third parties without disclosure. Avast collected browsing data without notice or consent, deceiving users by claiming to protect their privacy while selling identifiable data to third parties. The data collected included sensitive information such as health concerns, financial status, religious beliefs, and political affiliations. Avast has been ordered to pay affected consumers, obtain consent before selling data, delete transferred data, notify consumers of sold data, and implement a privacy program. The company must also stop misrepresenting how it uses collected data, as per the FTC’s order.