In a high stakes settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Czech software provider Avast has agreed to pay $16.5 million and cease selling consumers’ browsing data for advertising purposes. This comes in response to allegations that Avast failed to disclose fully how it intended to utilise consumers’ browser information.
According to accusations leveled by the FTC, information collected by Avast extended beyond general browsing data into profoundly personal territory. Users’ web searches and the specific web pages they visited apparently laid bare intimate details including their religious beliefs, political inclinations, health concerns, geographical location, financial status, and even traffic to child-directed content.
A joint statement from FTC Chair Lina Khan and Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya emphasized the weighty responsibilities enlisted by the handling of such sensitive data. Highlighting a “default presumption against its sharing or sale,” they underlined how the management of such data demands authentication of heightened privacy obligations.
Avast’s future conduct, following this costly settlement, will surely be observed closely, as regulators and users alike demand better respect for personal data privacy rights.
To read more details about this significant FTC settlement with Avast, you can visit here.