Motherboard and PCMag found that Avast had been selling a whole host of sensitive user information, including Google searches, Google Maps queries and even LinkedIn and YouTube activity data to some of the world’s largest companies. The company obtained this data through its anti-virus software, which it then packaged and sold through Jumpshot. And while Avast required individuals to opt into its data sharing, the majority of its users were not aware the company was selling their data, nor the scope and scale of the operation. Jumpshot told customers one of its products, “All Clicks Feed,” could track every click users made across a variety of websites in “precise detail.”

“Avast’s core mission is to keep its users safe online and to give users control over their privacy,” said Ondrej Vlcek, CEO of Avast. “The bottom line is that any practices that jeopardize user trust are unacceptable to Avast. We are vigilant about our users’ privacy, and we took quick action to begin winding down Jumpshot’s operations after it became evident that some users questioned the alignment of data provision to Jumpshot with our mission and principles that define us as a company.”

The company added that the core functionality of its other products will continue to “perform as usual,” and that users “will see no change.” Despite positioning the move as part of its “commitment to user safety and privacy protection,” it’s unlikely Avast will be able to regain user trust so easily. The Jumpshot situation is just the latest example of the company’s data collection troubles. In December, Firefox pulled two of the company’s extensions for collecting more user data than was necessary.

The investigation incriminates a lot of big name companies. We don’t know for certain which are past, present or potential clients, but the list includes Expedia, Intuit, Keurig, Condé Nast, Sephora, Loreal and more. Microsoft said it doesn’t have a current relationship with the company. Yelp said Jumpshot was “engaged on a one-time basis,” and Google did not respond to Microsoft and PGMag‘s request for comment.

The data sold includes everything from Google searches, Google Maps location searches, activity on companies’ LinkedIn pages, YouTube video visits and data on people visiting porn websites. The data is supposedly anonymized and does not include personal information, like names or contact info, but experts fear that it could be possible to de-anonymize certain users.

One product Jumpshot markets is an “All Clicks Feed,” which tracks users’ clicks across websites in precise detail. It’s advertised as “Every search. Every click. Every buy. On every site.” At least one customer, New York-based marketing firm Omnicom Media Group, signed up for the tool. According to Motherboard and PCMag, Omnicom paid Jumpshot $2,075,000 for access to data in 2019.

This isn’t the first time Avast has run into data collection trouble. Just a couple months ago, Mozilla pulled Avast’s Online Security and SafePrice extensions for Firefox, as well as Avast’s AVG-branded equivalents, after they were found to be collecting much more data than necessary. Collecting and selling off this highly detailed info is especially troubling coming from Avast, a company whose primary function is to protect its users.

At one point, the Wall Street Journal reported that Daqri had raised as much as $275 million in funding. But according to TechCrunch, investors have caught on to the technical difficulties of creating AR headsets and are less interested in funding AR startups. Earlier this year, the AR headset startup Meta, which had raised $73 million from venture capitalists, sold its assets to an unknown buyer. The startup Osterhout Design Group seemed to be off to a good start and was working with big-name partners, but it quickly burned through $58 million in funding. Last we heard, it was selling off its patents.

Major players like Microsoft and Lenovo have shifted their focus to enterprise customers, and Qualcomm made a headset to remind people that it has an AR chip. Code from iOS 13 confirms that Apple is testing an AR headset, but even Apple has kept quiet about those plans. It’s clear that developing AR hardware isn’t easy, and with two of the leading startups closing their doors, it may be up to bigger companies, like Apple, Micorosoft of Lenovo, to lead the way.