An antivirus program has been found to have been selling users' data to a wide variety of companies. A subsidiary of the Avast antivirus group, a popular and well-reviewed line of antivirus software, has been selling every purchase, every page, even every click that users have made. Clients have included tech companies, consulting companies, a soft drink company and even a large hardware store.
The program is called Jumpshot, and it is able to supply clients with a so-called "All Clicks Feed." That option tracks every click and all time spent across websites in highly precise detail.
Avast has since made the information-sharing aspect optional, though the company has said that the information gathered before the change will be kept rather than deleted.
It has been said that users should be skeptical of free programs. There is an adage on the Internet that if you aren't paying for the product, then you are the product.