AVG to flog your web browsing, search history from mid-October

I_have_spoken

Changes in the privacy policy of AVG's free antivirus doodad will allow it to collect your web browsing and search history – and sell it to advertisers to bankroll its freemium security software products.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/21/avg_freemium_browsing_history_slurp/

zaax

This includes tablets and phones

London_Ash

Yes, this was posted on Reddit a few days ago and was one of the most popular topics of the day.

A lot of people will be switching Anti Virus software now.

I guess personally I am not that bothered as I have nothing to hide, but at the same time it is frustrating to see a company using our data simply to make profit.

But at the end of the day, the software is free. Facebook does the same and they are free. Most free services come at this cost, so nothing is really free.

bod1467

As has been said many times about many softwares - including operating systems ... if it's free then YOU are the product. So this move by AVG is no surprise really. Expect the other free AV providers to follow suit.

oliviamoore81

I agree with Bod, it won't be long before other free anti virus providers start doing this. I wonder how long it will take for the paid AV providers to do the same?!?

RumRat

The secret is to get a paid version for free.....;)

kwikbreaks

It would be interesting to know just how the AV passes your "device id" to the sites you visit so they can serve targeted adverts. Considering the EU produced (essentially useless) laws on cookies which provide this type of data and requiring an annoying acceptance message on EU hosted websites can we expect yet more legislation attempting (and failing) to protect our privacy?

Fightsback

bod1467 wrote: »

As has been said many times about many softwares - including operating systems ... if it's free then YOU are the product. So this move by AVG is no surprise really. Expect the other free AV providers to follow suit.

It wouldn't surprise me that even paid AV solutions are spying on you and send marketable data back to the mother ship.

Robisere

The real objection I have to AVG, is to the Paid, Pro version, which I used until 3 years ago. I am aware that the company is in different hands since then, but this was my experience:
"Rogue" search bars and malware introduced onto my computer, with AVG missing all of it. The same thing happened to other members of my family, so I reinstalled all operating systems and installed Bitdefender Total Security and malwarebytes, which does not conflict with any other AV/Internet Security products. (Some family members installed Kaspersky Pure instead), none of us have had any security problems since.

As has been said, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Any organisation with a product or service advertised as "Free" has overheads which have to be paid for somehow.

[Deleted User]

Glad i use the Windows 10 Defender, no AVG tracking for me.

Oh wait a second :eek::rotfl:

Richie-from-the-Boro

Fightsback wrote: »

It wouldn't surprise me that even paid AV solutions are spying on you and send marketable data back to the mother ship.

Its just one more snout at the existing trough, MS are openly selling all your personal info its in their terms, ditto google and of course the very worst offender Android.

I'm on CyanogenMod for both my 1+2 and tablet both on 5.1.1 android.