Avast Fined $16.5 Million for Selling User Data

The cybersecurity firm faces penalties for misleading users about privacy protections and selling sensitive browsing information.

Avast fined $16.5 million by the FTC for selling user browsing data to advertisers, violating privacy promises.
The data sold included sensitive information such as religious beliefs, health concerns, political leanings, and financial status.
Avast's subsidiary, Jumpshot, sold the data to over 100 third parties, including major companies and advertising firms.
Despite Avast's claims of anonymizing data, the FTC found that the data could still be re-identified, compromising user privacy.
Avast is now banned from selling user data for advertising purposes and must inform affected users that their data was previously sold.