FTC Orders Avast to Pay £16.5 Million, Bans Firm from Selling Browsing Data

‘Avast promised users that its products would protect the privacy of their browsing data but delivered the opposite,’ FTC’s Samuel Levine said.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building in Washington, D.C. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered British firm Avast to pay $16.5 million and banned the company from selling, disclosing, or licensing web browsing data for advertising purposes, the agency announced on June 27.

In a press release, the commission voted 3-2 to approve the order which it said is meant to “provide redress to consumers.”