AVG anti-virus is selling your web browsing history
As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Anti-virus software company AVG has revamped its privacy policy into an easy-to-read document, and in doing so has revealed just how extensively it is tracking users and selling their data in order to keep its products "free".
The news comes as Facebook begins rolling out targeted advertising based on data it gleans from user activity on other websites, which the company first unveiled last year.
AVG's updated policy, which comes into effect October 15, says it will sell "non-personal" data including web browsing history, search query history and metadata to third parties in order to "make money from our free offerings so we can keep them free".
For anyone who's been following recent debates here in Australia over data retention and privacy, this should be ringing alarm bells.
The ability to transform apparently anonymous data into personal, identifying information when viewed in bulk has been well demonstrated by privacy advocates, from German politician Malte Spitz to Australia's David Leyonhjelm, and journalists Will Ockenden, Ben Grubb and Nick McKenzie.
AVG classifies "non-personal data" as:
Other data the company considers non-personal include "approximate location", zip code (or postcode), area code, time zone, and the URL (web address) users come from to reach its products
More at the link.
I'm posting this in this category rather than "Off Topic Discussion" for the benefit of non-member lurkers, who may want to avoid using AVG if they think they may, at some point, have OSA take an "interest" in them.
Then again, this is nothing compared to what FaceBook farms out of your data.
AVG anti-virus is selling your web browsing history
Quote:
As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Anti-virus software company AVG has revamped its privacy policy into an easy-to-read document, and in doing so has revealed just how extensively it is tracking users and selling their data in order to keep its products "free".
The news comes as Facebook begins rolling out targeted advertising based on data it gleans from user activity on other websites, which the company first unveiled last year.
AVG's updated policy, which comes into effect October 15, says it will sell "non-personal" data including web browsing history, search query history and metadata to third parties in order to "make money from our free offerings so we can keep them free".
For anyone who's been following recent debates here in Australia over data retention and privacy, this should be ringing alarm bells.
The ability to transform apparently anonymous data into personal, identifying information when viewed in bulk has been well demonstrated by privacy advocates, from German politician Malte Spitz to Australia's David Leyonhjelm, and journalists Will Ockenden, Ben Grubb and Nick McKenzie.
AVG classifies "non-personal data" as:
* Advertising ID associated with your device;
* Browsing and search history, including metadata;
* Internet service provider or mobile network you use to connect to our products; and
* Information regarding other applications you may have on your device and how they are used.
* Browsing and search history, including metadata;
* Internet service provider or mobile network you use to connect to our products; and
* Information regarding other applications you may have on your device and how they are used.
Other data the company considers non-personal include "approximate location", zip code (or postcode), area code, time zone, and the URL (web address) users come from to reach its products
I'm posting this in this category rather than "Off Topic Discussion" for the benefit of non-member lurkers, who may want to avoid using AVG if they think they may, at some point, have OSA take an "interest" in them.
Then again, this is nothing compared to what FaceBook farms out of your data.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire