You know what, screw it, I'm uninstalling all of my AV's! I'm sick and tired of being spied upon!

Well the time to unistall AVG has come, anyone knows a similar product that doesn´t spy it´s users or should i simply stop using antivirus???

or just stay off dodgy pr0n sites

Sorry i just can´t do that :\

You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.

Lol, so true!

AVG where always heading this way. I've got Internet Security 2015 and even after disabling performance and update notifications I'd still get the occasional message saying my PC is slow and could be 'optimized' with a free check. I also got a notification of EULA changes this week and if this is also the case for 'paid users' I will be moving away from their services promptly.

This excessive collection is for the free version, no? Either way I have no doubt that all AV software, paid or not, collects some information. Edit- This is a little old but it should give an idea http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/avc_datasending_2014_en.pdf

This excessive collection is for the free version, no? Either way I have no doubt that all AV software, paid or not, collects some information. Edit- This is a little old but it should give an idea http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/avc_datasending_2014_en.pdf

Thanks for that. I'm confused about the fact that there's a question about "Can user opt out of sending files?" but then there's no question regarding "Can user opt out of sending personal information?" there. I know for a fact that several of those AV will only send visited URL information if the browser add-on is installed (which is optional)

I've never used any AV/malware or whatever BS name they give themselves. My first computer (I don't expect anybody to be offended) was an Apple 2C+, which I purchased back in 1990 in my Marine Corps days. Since, I've only had one virus and that was in 1998 (porn site) and the friends and family who have gotten them seem to be from porn, torrents, and AV websites.

I'm not sure where people think free software and other things come from, but it's for certain that everything we don't pay for is paid for by someone else, in some fashion. IE, nothing is "free" and software certainly doesn't grow on trees in the wild...;) Advertising...pays for just about everything people think is "free"...in OTA TV broadcasting, advertising pays for for the whole thing--which is why you can install a pair of digital rabbit ears and get your local TV channels "for free." If it weren't for all of those ads and commercials there'd be none of that. Same is true for radio...and, of course, the Internet. Advertising revenue makes it all possible financially. I've never cared for AVG products and don't use them, myself. But for the people who do use their "free" version, wise up. Somebody has to pay for what you're getting free, and if the anonymous collection of your browsing data provides you with free software--what's your complaint? The alternative is clear--go out and buy something if anonymous (that means they don't know who you are by name, address, etc.) data collection for advertising purposes bothers you.

I've never used any AV/malware or whatever BS name they give themselves. My first computer (I don't expect anybody to be offended) was an Apple 2C+, which I purchased back in 1990 in my Marine Corps days. Since, I've only had one virus and that was in 1998 (porn site) and the friends and family who have gotten them seem to be from porn, torrents, and AV websites.

No offense, but at this time, internet was somewhat nearly non existant. I remember at this time, at my work, to use a 56K or 128K modem, linked to a phone line, for send "message" or really small files we was directly connect by phone numbers to the PC at the other side of the line ( yes we was just use phone number as IP ).

No offense, but at this time, internet was somewhat nearly non existant. I remember at this time, at my work, to use a 56K or 128K modem, linked to a phone line, for send "message" or really small files we was directly connect by phone numbers to the PC at the other side of the line ( yes we was just use phone number as IP ).

that's my point. When it was practically new (I have been online since 1993) and only once, sometime in 1998, it is now late 2015. As someone mentioned earlier, it's about the user (between keyboard and chair).

eh I have not use AVG ins years, more like 5+ years mostly cause it became overly bloated and slow.

Common sense is my AV, has been for the last decade. No issues here.

Common sense is my AV, has been for the last decade. No issues here.

most people dont have this, atlest not the causal users. i know to many people that just click and open things with out thinking first, my sisters and all her friends phones/tablets/laptops can atest to that...

Common sense is my AV, has been for the last decade. No issues here.

If you think that common sense is saving you from getting infected, think twice (example). Or don't. It seems that in your case (and in a few before you) "if I don't see a virus, it means that I don't have any". *Sigh...* Some people here seem to think that computer viruses delete your files and show red banners saying "Warning! Warning! You are infected!" Good luck with backdoor malware and all that other malware that is invisible to the user.

If you think that common sense is saving you from getting infected, think twice (example). Or don't. It seems that in your case (and in a few before you) "if I don't see a virus, it means that I don't have any". *Sigh...* Some people here seem to think that computer viruses delete your files and show red banners saying "Warning! Warning! You are infected!" Good luck with backdoor malware and all that other malware that is invisible to the user.

That is example of WHY i dont surf the internet with out a Adblocker, and any site the tell me to stop using Adblockers so there site work correct, I refer them to such incidents and stop using the site, till they fix there issue. Surfing the net with out adblock or no using AV this day in age is like going in commando. they dont stop it all but better then risking it all cause you dont want to use either. I once let my uncles pc run few months with ABP disabled cause it he issue with "sites" just to prove point and months later his pc was infect with malware and likes.

Well I stopped using antivirus 10 years ago since I saw them behave nearly like what they should defend us from, virus, and they are resource hogs. And since I saw in several systems, that I fix/fixed from customers, more than one virus cohabiting with antivirus and, only three in twenty AV's would detect those virus and in one case it had to be me to manually delete the infected files, to avoid a fresh SO install. And then we have also the false positives... To know what you are doing and where you are going is the best AV.

my words exactly.

That is example of WHY i dont surf the internet with out a Adblocker, and any site the tell me to stop using Adblockers so there site work correct, I refer them to such incidents and stop using the site, till they fix there issue. Surfing the net with out adblock or no using AV this day in age is like going in commando. they dont stop it all but better then risking it all cause you dont want to use either. I once let my uncles pc run few months with ABP disabled cause it he issue with "sites" just to prove point and months later his pc was infect with malware and likes.

Malware doesn't always come exclusively from ads, though.

AVG has been laughable for a while now..... Their products aren't even worth using. They even recently got outperformed by McAfee.....lol

I think that Hanff guy is a bit over the top when he says "It is utterly unethical to the highest degree and a complete and total abuse of the trust we give our security software". As is said in the article by AVG reps, "Those users who do not want us to use non-personal data in this way will be able to turn it off, without any decrease in the functionality our apps will provide,". So, what's the big deal? Avast does it, and I bet all the other providers of "free" AV's do as well in some form. For example, I'm currently using Panda Free and they offer the option to install the "Panda Security Toolbar" which is supposed to provide web filtering. If you research it, the toolbar is made by another company, Visicom, and is used to collect browsing and other data for the same purposes as AVG is admitting to. It does also provide some rudimentary filtering and anti-phishing capability but that has been shown in tests to be far weaker than the built in protections of all the modern browsers, especially Chrome and the SmartScreen filters in IE and Edge. It's just a way for Panda to make money off of the free product and they don't disclose the data collection like AVG has done. When you install Panda Free in a custom install, there are 3 optional things, including the toolbar. I didn't install any of them and the product works very well and is actually pretty impressive. I'm just not real happy with the disguising of what the toolbar actually does. So, AVG is not the only one doing such things. They are just the first to admit to it. It's like the AV vendors are saying "If you don't want us collecting and selling your data, then buy one of our paid products which are better anyway". Bitdefender has said that they are going to provide a new free AV version that is compatible with Windows 10. ( The current one is not). When that comes out, I will probably try it because the old Free version worked very well in 8.1, 7, and Vista.

Malware doesn't always come exclusively from ads, though.

never say it did i can though. none the less when i told him to use ABP and stop disabling it and his infection stop being so frequent, did not stop all the random trojan and virus he keeps getting, which i can only assume are coming the the many SOCIAL SITES he uses and the game on it, cause other then that he dont use his pc for anything.