Avast defends its data gathering and sharing practices -- 'that's how antivirus works'

Two days ago we reported how a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag discovered that Avast's free antivirus software was harvesting user data and selling it onto marketers in a way that could be linked back to an individual. Following the inevitable backlash, Avast has responded, defending its data gathering and attempting to justify the practice of selling it on, while continuing to insist that the data is fully "de-identified". SEE ALSO: Avast free antivirus sends browser history to marketers In a blog post, Avast insists its data gathering does not put anyone's privacy at risk: We want to reassure… [Continue Reading]