FTC Orders Avast to Pay £16.5 Million, Bans Firm from Selling Browsing Data

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered British firm Avast to pay $16.5 million and banned the company from selling, disclosing, or licensing web browsing data for advertising purposes, the agency announced on June 27.

In a press release, the commission voted 3-2 to approve the order which it said is meant to “provide redress to consumers.”

As part of the order, the cybersecurity software provider and its subsidiaries must delete web browsing information transferred to its Czech subsidiary and any products or algorithms derived from that data.

It must also obtain consent from consumers before selling or licensing browsing data from non-Avast products to third parties for advertising, and tell them if their browsing information was sold to third parties without their consent. The company also has to implement a “comprehensive privacy program” to address its misconduct as alleged by the FTC.

Read Full Article Here