April 15, 2024·Articles·ČTK
Avast Software received a fine of 351 million crowns from the Office for Personal Data Protection for the unauthorized processing of data on users of its antivirus program. For part of 2019, the firm gave Jumpshot some data about about 100 million users that was not anonymized, according to the authority.
Avast processed the personal data of users of the anti-virus program of the same name and its extension for Internet browsers. In the investigated part of 2019, he handed over part of the data to his Jumpshot division, which presented itself as a company making data available to marketers, providing them with insight into the online behavior of consumers. Antivirus users were misinformed by Avast about the transmission of anonymous data for trend analysis.
“Although Avast stated that it used robust anonymization techniques, the proceedings demonstrated that the transmitted data from individual antivirus software installations was not anonymized,” said the authority. According to him, based on the transmitted data, at least part of the subjects could be identified again. Moreover, the purpose of the data processing was not only to create statistical analyses, as stated by Avast.
In the decision, the authority emphasized that Avast is one of the leading experts in cyber security and offers the public tools to protect data and privacy. “Its customers could not have expected that this particular company would pass on their personal data, i.e. data on the basis of which not only their identity could be ascertained, but also, for example, their interests, preferences, place of residence, assets, profession and other data related to their privacy ,” said Jiří Kaucký, chairman of the Office for Personal Data Protection, regarding the decision. The Avast brand is part of the Gen Digital company, which was created in 2022 by the merger of Avast and the American company NortonLifeLock. Avast previously voluntarily closed its subsidiary company Jumpshot and ceased its operations in January 2020.
