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Capitalism: Avast antivirus sold every search, every click, every buy, on every site.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    An antivirus program used by hundreds of millions of people around the world is selling highly sensitive web browsing data to many of the world's biggest companies, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag has found.

    Avast claims to have more than 435 million active users per month, and Jumpshot says it has data from 100 million devices. Avast collects data from users that opt-in and then provides that to Jumpshot, but multiple Avast users told Motherboard they were not aware Avast sold browsing data, raising questions about how informed that consent is.

    https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdkq7/avast-antivirus-sells-user-browsing-data-investigation

    https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-cost-of-avasts-free-antivirus-companies-can-spy-on-your-clicks

  • 6 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Main buyers of all this data - Google and Microsoft.

    Btw both also collect info about all files on your computers (via their "antivirus" solutions) :-)

  • kurthkurth

    so...is there an antivirus program , preferably free, that doesn't sell it's data ?

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @kurth

    Most probably any free software that does not sell data just provide it for free to governments :-)

    As to be serious, modern antivirus software is very expensive and human labor intensive thing, so any free offers must make you very worried. Otherwise use build in Windows Defender, as Microsoft will get all your info anyway.

  • kurthkurth

    My impression is that if the users IP is outside their area of interest, they don't process the info. I rarely ever get advertising feedback that they've tracked my interests, while friends living inside the usa are always receiving such. Like one friend in the states researched hotels in samarkand and had ads for samarkand popping up for weeks.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    "Avast's core mission is to keep its users safe online and to give users control over their privacy," said Ondrej Vlcek, CEO of Avast. "The bottom line is that any practices that jeopardize user trust are unacceptable to Avast. We are vigilant about our users' privacy, and we took quick action to begin winding down Jumpshot's operations after it became evident that some users questioned the alignment of data provision to Jumpshot with our mission and principles that define us as a company."

    Of course.

    Just remember - they'll make new selling platform :-)

  • kurthkurth

    I still uninstalled it and am only using windows defender which means every time i go to piratebay, they wack me. Oh well ....limetorrents it is. They'll eventually shut it all down and everyone will be required to give blood samples.

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