People use antivirus software in order to protect their data as well as privacy but Avast has been selling its user’s browsing history to third parties while exposing every click and search they have made. The previous month the company also justified their practice of collecting web histories. The company told users who have chosen to data sharing, “The data is fully de-identified and aggregated and cannot be used to personally identify or target you.” As per the report the user’s privacy is preserved, Avast gets paid, and online marketers get a trove of “aggregate” consumer data to help them sell more products. The clients can view every click an individual is making during their browsing sessions that also includes the time down to the millisecond. The report says the collected data is not at all linked to a person’s name, email or IP address, each user history is still assigned to an identifier known as device ID, which will remain unless the user uninstalls the Avast antivirus. For example: In December 2018, Omnicom Media Group, a major marketing provider, signed a contract to receive what’s called the “All Clicks Feed,” or every click Jumpshot is collecting from Avast users. When Avast was asked about the collected data being shared with, along with information about the Omnicom contract the company declined to answer and provided a contact for Jumpshot. In a statement, Avast said, “We completely discontinued the practice of using any data from the browser extensions for any other purpose than the core security engine, including sharing with Jumpshot.” For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date with the Gadget Bridge Android App.
