Avast controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2024
Federal Trade Commission privacy enforcement
The FTC announced a $16.5 million settlement and an order addressing allegations that Avast collected and sold browsing information while representing that its products would protect users' privacy.
2020
Jumpshot browsing-data disclosures
A joint Motherboard and PCMag investigation reported that data collected through Avast and AVG products was resold for advertising and analytics through Jumpshot. Avast announced that it would close Jumpshot and stop its operations in January 2020.
2020
Avast CEO apologizes amid scrutiny over user data sharing
Company response
Avast CEO Ondrej Vleck apologized to customers in connection with the controversy over data collection and sharing by Avast subsidiary Jumpshot. The article reports that Jumpshot had been sharing data with third parties and that the CEO's apology addressed hurt feelings rather than the alleged privacy violation.
Company response
Apology — Avast
Avast has apparently made a business of "sharing" data to third parties and its CEO is now apologizing for hurting the feelings of its customers.
Source excerpt
Avast has apparently made a business of "sharing" data to third parties and its CEO is now apologizing for hurting the feelings of its customers.
That is probably why Vleck is apologizing only for hurting people's feelings, and not for violating their privacy.
2020
Avast apologizes and announces Jumpshot wind-down
Company response
Avast CEO Ondrej Vlcek apologized over Avast's sale of user data through subsidiary Jumpshot and said Avast had decided to terminate Jumpshot's data collection and wind down its operations with immediate effect.
Avast CEO Ondrej Vlcek apologized over Avast’s sale of user data through subsidiary Jumpshot and said Avast had decided to terminate Jumpshot’s data collection and wind down its operations with immediate effect.
Company response
Apology — Avast
As CEO of Avast, I feel personally responsible and I would like to apologize to all concerned.
Remediation — Avast
For these reasons, I -- together with our board of directors -- have decided to terminate the Jumpshot data collection and wind down Jumpshot’s operations, with immediate effect.
Source excerpt
While users had the Avast extension installed, the company could package all of the clicks and on-screen browsing behavior of a given user, bundle it up, and share it with a given brand—say, Nike—that might want to know the types of people clicking on its site, and when.
The “global leader” in cybersecurity—Avast—announced today it would be shutting down its analytics arm Jumpshot that was recently found harvesting the data of the hundreds of millions installing Avast’s free browser extension.
“Protecting people is Avast’s top priority and must be embedded in everything we do in our business and in our products. Anything to the contrary is unacceptable,” wrote Avast CEO Ondrej Vlcek
2019
Browser-extension data collection controversy
Investigations reported that Avast and AVG browser extensions collected users' browsing behavior and history and transmitted the information to remote servers. The extensions were temporarily removed from the Chrome, Firefox, and Opera stores before returning.