In tests, Avast detected 99.8% of malware found in the 4 weeks before testing. Virus Scans - In-Depth Scans Offer Strong Device Protection I recommend a trustworthy antivirus like Norton 360 or TotalAV, both of which store your personal data in secure facilities with restricted access to authorized staff only. Although these are steps in the right direction, the scandal was nonetheless extremely damaging for the brand. It also updated its privacy policy so that users have to opt-in to future data collection. This is understandably a worry for anyone using software to keep themselves safe online.Īvast claims to have stopped this data collection practice and has since shut down Jumpshot. If a company that bought this data already had a bit of knowledge about a user’s activities online, they could link this previously anonymous user with a host of other actions. To make things worse, the data was not properly anonymized. All data was sold without users’ permission and primarily gathered through Avast’s browser extension, but also partially through the antivirus itself.

This included people’s browsing history, Google searches, YouTube visits, and even visits to adult websites. Recently, it was discovered that Avast was secretly selling the browsing data of its users through its subsidiary company Jumpshot. TotalAV is another top-rated service that’s relatively new, but has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of the best antiviruses available. The best option for 2023 is Norton 360 as it offers powerful antivirus packages for an affordable price. I strongly suggest choosing reliable antivirus with a clean privacy track record instead. While Avast claims to have changed its privacy policy since the scandal, I find this difficult to believe considering the company’s clear lack of ethics. I’ve tested Avast’s antivirus protection and rate it highly, but the company has lost my trust and I can no longer recommend it as a safe antivirus.

No one was safe - not even those who upgraded from Avast’s free plan to the paid packages. It was recently revealed that Avast has long been selling the browsing history of its users to companies like Google and Microsoft. Millions of people rely on Avast to protect their devices, but the sad truth is that the majority have no idea about its privacy violations.

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