February 23, 2024 at 12:15PM
The FTC fined Avast $16.5 million for allegedly selling consumer browsing data to third parties through its subsidiaries, despite claiming to protect users’ privacy. The FTC accused Avast of collecting and storing browsing data without consent, then selling it to over 100 third parties. Avast is now required to compensate affected consumers and implement new privacy measures.
After carefully reviewing the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has required Avast to pay a $16.5 million fine for selling and licensing web browsing data to third parties, despite claiming to protect consumers from such online tracking.
2. The FTC claims that Avast collected consumer browsing data without notice or consent and deceived its users by claiming to protect their privacy while selling identifiable browsing data to over 100 third parties through its subsidiary, Jumpshot.
3. Avast has been ordered to pay the fine to the affected consumers and will be prohibited from misrepresenting how it uses the data it collects.
4. Avast must now obtain affirmative express consent from users before selling their data, delete web browsing information transferred to Jumpshot, notify consumers of their sold browsing data, and implement a privacy program to address misconduct highlighted by the FTC.
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