The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered a software company Avast, to pay $16.5 million and cease selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising purposes. The charges against Avast include allegations that the company collected and sold users’ browsing information without their consent, despite promising to protect their privacy.
The collected data included details about users’ web searches, visited webpages, religious beliefs, health concerns, political leanings, location, financial status, and visits to child-directed content.
