What is Avast?
Definition
Avast is a software company known for its antivirus products and browser extensions. In 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission finalized an order against Avast for selling users' browsing data through its Jumpshot subsidiary after promising its products would protect privacy.
- Category
- Privacy
- Also called
- Avast antivirus
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
Sources checked: consumer.ftc.gov, ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
Avast is a provider of antivirus software and browser extensions. You may know it from free antivirus downloads that people install to protect a computer or phone.
For privacy, the part worth knowing is a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case. The FTC said Avast collected users' browsing data through its browser extensions and antivirus software, and sold it through its subsidiary Jumpshot, while marketing its products as protecting privacy by blocking tracking. According to the FTC, Jumpshot sold browsing information to a variety of clients, including advertisers and data brokers, from 2014 through January 2020.
What the FTC order requires
The order was announced in February 2024 and finalized in June 2024. It requires Avast to pay $16.5 million, which the FTC said would go to consumers as redress. It bans Avast from selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising. Avast must also delete the browsing information that was transferred to Jumpshot, along with products or algorithms derived from it, and notify affected consumers.
The FTC also alleged that the process used to anonymize the data was not sufficient, and that some contracts did not stop buyers from re-identifying users.
Why it matters to you
Browsing history can show your health searches, finances, location and interests, and it is easy to link back to a person. The case shows that a tool you install to protect yourself can also be a source of data collection, so it is worth reading what any extension or app collects. This is one way your information ends up with a data broker.
Refund claims and scams
The FTC ran a refund claims process for affected Avast customers. The FTC says it never requires you to pay money or give account information to claim a refund. Messages that ask for either are a warning sign.
Example
You installed Avast's free browser extension in 2018 because it promised to block tracking. The FTC says Avast's subsidiary Jumpshot sold browsing data from those tools to more than 100 third parties. Years later, an email titled "Avast Settlement: Get Your Payment" arrives. The claim runs through ftc.gov/Avast, and you never pay anything to get it.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Review what your extensions can see
Check which browser extensions you have installed and remove the ones you no longer use. Extensions can read the pages you visit.
- 2
Read the privacy settings of security software
Look at what data any security product collects and whether you can opt out of sharing it.
- 3
Use only official FTC channels for refund claims
The FTC says it never asks you to pay or provide account information to get a refund. If a message about an Avast refund asks for either, don't respond.
- 4
Find where your data is listed
Browsing data sold to brokers can end up joined to the other details they hold on you. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them.
See it in action
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
What did the FTC say Avast did?
The FTC said Avast sold detailed browsing data collected by its software through its Jumpshot subsidiary, while telling users its products would protect their privacy. The order was finalized in June 2024.
How much did Avast have to pay?
The FTC order requires Avast to pay $16.5 million, which the FTC said would be used to provide redress to consumers.
Can Avast still sell my browsing data?
The FTC order bans Avast from selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising. See the FTC's pages for the full terms of the order.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
What changed
- Added a worked example based on the FTC's Avast case and refund process.
