Czechia: Announced UOOU investigation into Avast over alleged illegal sales of user data

On 11 February 2020, the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU) announced that it was investigating Czech computer security software company Avast, for selling the activities of users of anti-virus software. This was done through its subsidiary company, Jumpshot, and the investigation was prompted by a journalistic investigation by Motherboard and PCMag that found that Jumpshot sold Avast users’ activities, such as Google and YouTube searches. The DPA’s statement highlighted that there was possibly a “serious and extensive breach” of personal data.