The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed a fine of DKK 174 million on Avast.
“Happy that the matter is resolved”
The FTC writes in the press release that "Avast Limited, based in Great Britain, through its Czech subsidiary, unfairly collected consumer browsing information through the company's browser extensions and antivirus software, stored it indefinitely and sold it without adequate notice and without consumer consent."
In what sounds like a gross abuse of customer-company trust, the FTC alleges that “Avast deceived users by claiming that the software would protect consumer privacy by blocking third-party tracking, but failed to adequately inform consumers that it would sell their detailed, re-identifiable browser data,” it says – the FTC reports that Avast sold the data to more than 100 third parties through its Jumpshot subsidiary.
The matter appears to have concluded after Motherboard and PCMag launched an investigation into Avast's practices in 2020.
Following the media attention, the company shut down Jumpshot.
To The Verge, the company states “We are committed to our mission of protecting and empowering people's digital lives.
While we disagree with the FTC's allegations and characterization of the facts, we are pleased to resolve this case and look forward to continuing to serve our millions of customers worldwide.”