Software company Avast must pay a $16.5 million fine in the United States and stop selling user data for advertising purposes. In a press release, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this on Thursday. According to the FTC, Avast, based in Britain, committed the illegal conduct through its Czech subsidiary Jumpshot.
Avast Faces Consequences in the United States
Software company Avast must pay a $16.5 million fine in the United States and stop selling user data for advertising purposes. In a press release, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this on Thursday. According to the FTC, Avast, based in Britain, committed the illegal conduct through its Czech subsidiary Jumpshot.
The company has agreed to pay $16.5 million, according to an Avast spokesman. It also voluntarily shut down Jumpshot earlier and ceased operations in January 2020, he said. “The operational provisions in this settlement are already consistent with Avast’s current privacy and security programs,” a company spokesman told Reuters by email.
In April last year, Global Data Review reported on an investigation of Avast by the Office for Personal Data Protection for indirectly selling data through its subsidiary Jumpshot. The result was a record fine of €13.7 million. However, the proceedings are not yet over.
Avast’s Journey: From Controversy to Merger
Founded in 1988, Avast has become one of the pioneers in computer security with its security programs for both computers and mobile devices. The merger of Avast and US company NortonLifeLock in 2022 created Gen Digital, whose portfolio includes the Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner brands. Gen provides cybersecurity, privacy and identity protection products and services in more than 150 countries.
Source: čtk
