If you thought that your browsing and search history was safe in the hands of antivirus companies, think again!
AVG Technologies has updated its privacy policies to alert users that the antivirus company will be able to sell a user's browsing and search histories to online advertisers.
So if you want to avail the free AVG service for getting rid of viruses, remember there will be a price to pay henceforth - compromising your privacy. Why this sudden alteration to AVG's policies you wonder? Simply because the Czech firm wants to sell your "non-personal data" to third parties to "make money."
This money will be deployed by AVG to fund its products that are free for users.
"We provide products and services to help you secure your data, devices, and personal privacy. We use data to improve those products and services; provide support; send notifications, offers, and promotions; and to make money from our free offerings so that we can continue to offer them for free," justifies AVG to the why do you collect my data query.
The company's new privacy policy is set to come into effect from Oct. 15 this year. AVG also explains that the antivirus company's previous policies also included that it could gather search history data; however, the same was worded in a different manner and read that the company could collect "the words you search."
For those worried about personal data such as emails, credit card details, name, address etc. being sold can rest easy as AVG claims it will not sell these, but a risk exists that this personal information may stay in a user's browsing history accidentally and gets leaked.
AVG, though, counters that it will take protective measures to sift a user's personal details from their browsing history prior to selling the non-personal data to a third party. It also notes that data will only be aggregated and not be bundled, which basically means that in one batch, it will only include emails and not have usernames or name or other personal information.
However, AVG has stated that a user's personal identifiable data such as their IP, age and address may be shared with its collaborators even if it is not sold.
The complete updated privacy policy from AVG can be read online.
