Yo Ho, No More Data Piracy Life for Software Company Avast

Software company Avast has been forced to pay $16.5 million and stop selling or licensing  web browsing data for advertising purposes to settle FTC charges that the company revealed “extraordinarily sensitive information” from its users without consent or notice, when it had advertised its products as private. This FTC action reinforces that people’s online browsing records are sensitive information subject to privacy protections and the importance of companies properly protecting this information.