Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/02/26/avast-fined-16-5m-for-selling-private-user-data.html
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Ok, I’m conflicted. Pissed off that they sold user data, glad they got fined, but pissed off more knowing that fine is probably a drop in the bucket compared with how much they profited from selling the data.
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Noooooo.
You were supposed to be the security, not end it!
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Glad AF I quit using them so many years ago. 
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Can you recommend a replacement?
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Any word on how much Avast got paid for selling that data? I bet it was a shit ton more than the fine. Heck, I bet the exec who made the decision got that much just in bonus payments for doing it.
$16.5m is just the cost of doing business…
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I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the guys who called their company “Avast” decided to be piratical.
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Wish I could, but I’ve been using refurbished retired laptops from a nearby school since then. B/c I wasn’t given Admin Powers over any of them, I haven’t been able to see even half of what’s been installed on them. 
Sorry. I hope another Happy Mutant sees your question & has an actually useful answer for you.
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I’ve been using Windows Defender supplementing with Malwarebytes as needed. It’s been a perfectly good solution and doesn’t come with adware/spyware bundled, which most of the free ones these days seem to.
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Just keeping Windows Update turned on covers most of the bases. Microsoft took so much reputational damage to their business from becoming known as a virus-ridden zombie/bot-farming OS that more recently they’ve become super vigilant/proactive at patching vulnerabilities. Also why systems update constantly, new definitions. One case where historical bad performance actually informed a positive transformation.
Commercial, third party security services are like like dodgy underpaid rent-a-cops, (with full access to the facilities) - it’s not too surprising if they start seeking other revenue streams.
Of course good network hygiene practices is invaluable. i.e. being suspicious of weird add-ons, unknown attachments etc. - as always ymmv
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Yeah, a fine is a price (of doing business). Reasonably the fine should have been all their profits during the period when they were selling user data, plus an additional penalty. That’s the kind of thing that makes companies reconsider their plans.
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Seconded.
Exactly. My infosec-professional friends were steering me in this direction over a decade ago.
So much this.
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