The documents, from a subsidiary of the antivirus giant Avast called Jumpshot, shine new light on the secretive sale and supply chain of peoples' internet browsing histories. They show that the Avast antivirus program installed on a person's computer collects data, and that Jumpshot repackages it into various different products that are then sold to many of the largest companies in the world. Some past, present, and potential clients include Google, Yelp, Microsoft, McKinsey, Pepsi, Home Depot, Cond Nast, Intuit, and many others. Some clients paid millions of dollars for products that include a so-called "All Clicks Feed," which can track user behavior, clicks, and movement across websites in highly precise detail.
Avast claims to have more than 435 million active users per month, and Jumpshot says it has data from 100 million devices. Avast collects data from users that opt-in and then provides that to Jumpshot, but multiple Avast users told Motherboard they were not aware Avast sold browsing data, raising questions about how informed that consent is.
Avast Antivirus Harvested Users Data And Sold It Google, Microsoft, IBM And Others
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Jumpshot sells a variety of different products based on data collected by Avast's antivirus software installed on users' computers. Clients in the institutional finance sector often buy a feed of the top 10,000 domains that Avast users are visiting to try and spot trends, the product handbook reads.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has hit antivirus vendor Avast with a $16.5 million fine over charges that the firm sold users' browsing data to advertisers after claiming its products would block online tracking.
In addition, the company has been banned from selling or licensing any web browsing data for advertising purposes. It will also have to notify users whose browsing data was sold to third-parties without their consent.
Avast has evidently been harvesting user data through opt-ins that don't tell the complete story to its antivirus users. If you believed your antivirus protected you from malware, turns out it did that at the cost of sharing your entire online existence with the buyers, including the likes of Google, Pepsi, and Home Depot.
A Motherboard and PCMag investigation has revealed that documents from Jumpshot, an Avast subsidiary, "shine new light on the secretive sale and supply chain of peoples' internet browsing histories." Avast antivirus program has been collecting data from its users, which is then repackaged by Jumpshot into different products sold to some of the biggest companies in the world.
While Avast says it collects that data through opt-ins, multiple users of its antivirus program were unaware of what they were agreeing to, which begs the question of how open about this practice Avast was to its users. It is unclear when these opt-ins started, but several users noticed receiving these notifications that asked antivirus users to opt back into data collection. This new opt-in message reads:
In a sensational revelation, an investigation on Monday claimed that the popular Avast antivirus -- installed on nearly 435 millions Windows, Mac and mobile devices globally -- harvested users' data via browser plugins and then sold it to third parties, including Microsoft and Google.
Avast reportedly asks users to opt in to data collection via a pop-up message in the antivirus software. However, "multiple" users told Motherboard they were unaware that their browsing data was then sold.
This isn't the first time Avast has been caught for such an offense. You may recall a similar issue that happened in 2020. Motherboard (Vice) and PCMag began a joint investigation into claims that Avast had been using its subsidiary company, Jumpshot, to spy on users. The report said that Avast's security products tracked user behavior, clicks and their activity across the web. The user data which was collected through this process was then sold to more than 100 third-party companies including Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, Home Depot, McKinsey. This led to Jumpshot being shut down.
Avast had claimed that it had anonymized the user data to protect their privacy. But, the FTC has accused the company of failing to do so. It says that Avast had unfairly collected user's browsing data through its browser extensions and antivirus software, and stored it indefinitely (on its servers), aka data harvesting. The FTC also complained that Avast had sold the consumer's data without a notice or consent from the user.
The FTC has proposed an order which prohibits Avast from selling browsing data to third-parties for advertising purposes. The company will also be required to obtain affirmative express consent from consumers, before it can sell or license the data from non-Avast products to other companies. Avast will also need to delete the web browsing data that was transferred to Jumpshot. It will also need to notify users whose browsing data was sold to third-parties without their permission. The FTC wants Avast to implement a comprehensive privacy program that addresses the issues highlighted in the complaint.
Avast's data analytics unit has stopped collecting information about people using the company's free antivirus software following revelations that the data was sold to companies such as Google, Home Depot, Microsoft, and Pepsi.
PC Mag noted that the collected data contained neither names, e-mails, nor IP addresses. However, each user was assigned an ID, which was retained until Avast was removed from their device. Armed with this ID and the data sold by Jumpshot, large corporations like Amazon could easily de-anonymize users.
The Czech security firm, Avast, is being sued in a mass claim lawsuit. The plaintiffs include the CUIC Foundation (Consumers United In Court), cooperating with the civil rights organization Privacy First, AD reported on Friday. The company, known for its antivirus software, is accused of selling sensitive data of millions of Dutch users for several years.
The collected data was then resold through Avast's subsidiary, Jumpshot. This data was bought by large corporations, including Google, Microsoft, Yelp, and Pepsi. These companies paid millions for access to datasets that would enable them to glean detailed insights into users' online behavior.
CUIC Foundation is particularly shocked that Avast, an antivirus provider designed to offer users security, was involved in reselling user data for monetary gain. "That is simply theft. It's like having a good friend over to stay, and then they rob you of all your valuable possessions while you're asleep. We shouldn't consider this normal. It's time to draw the line," the CUIC spokesperson said.
Security vendor Avast allegedly traded the data of millions of users globally with a number of free antivirus products. In the Netherlands, Privacy First and Stichting CUIC are taking Avast to court over the alleged privacy violations for over 5 million Dutch users.
Worldwide, 435 million users are allegedly involved. Avast is said to have collected the data via AVG Online Security, Avast Secure Browser and AVG Secure Browser, among others. Among this data are highly sensitive data such as Google search queries, Web shop transactions and also visits to porn sites.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday said it will ban the antivirus giant Avast from selling consumers' web browsing data to advertisers after Avast claimed its products would prevent its users from online tracking.
Avast also settled the federal regulator's charges for $16.5 million, which the FTC said will provide redress for Avast's users whose sensitive browsing data was improperly sold on to ad giants and data brokers. 589ccfa754
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