Avast does this without collecting or storing a user's identification.' It is necessary for this service to collect the URL history to deliver its expected functionality. 'The Avast Online Security extension is a security tool that protects users online, including from infected websites and phishing attacks. 'Mozilla has recently updated its store policy and we are liaising with them in order to make the necessary adjustments to our extensions to align with new requirements. 'We have offered our Avast Online Security and SafePrice browser extensions for many years through the Mozilla store,' an Avast spinner told us. While the extensions are no longer accessible from the official Firefox add-on service, they still work with the browser, so those currently using the extensions will still be able to do so.Īvast acknowledged the take-down, and told The Register it was working with Mozilla on a resolution. 'The amount of data collected here exceeds by far what would be considered necessary or appropriate even for the security extensions, for the shopping helpers this functionality isn’t justifiable at all,' Palant argued. Above all, Avast has fallen foul of Mozilla's recently updated rules for extensions on privacy, and so, its add-ons were kicked out of the Firefox store. It's not a great look for the security outfit: harvesting people's information and selling it.

Look into any category, country, or domain' – which sounds a lot like the data the Avast and AVG extensions collect. Analyze it however you want: track what users searched for, how they interacted with a particular brand or product, and what they bought. AVG bought a company called Jumpshot in 2013, three years before AVG was acquired by Avast, that touts 'clickstream data' that includes '100 million global online shoppers and 20 million global app users.

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