Avast, the popular antivirus company, is allegedly selling its users' sensitive data to third parties. As per Vice and PCMag, this selling has been taking place "in a way that can put people's privacy at risk".

A news report says that Avast has sold its users' browsing data to Pepsi, Google, and Microsoft, among others. PCMag reports, "Avast and AVG antivirus tell you your privacy will be protected. However, no mention is made about how your "de-identified" data can be combined with other information to identify you."

Angry reactions have been heard. "When your antivirus becomes the virus. Avast harvesting all your data, selling it for millions. Avast should scan for itself as malware," a Twitter user said.

On its part, Avast has been quoted as saying that it doesn't collect personal identification information such as name, email address or contact details. It added that users have the choice to opt out of sharing data.