In my experience, there is no such thing as “anti-virus” software. The software itself usually does much more damage to my PC than any malware ever has.<p>Then again, I don’t keep anything valuable on my internet connected computers - and if I’m suspicious of even a little thing I just wipe the PC and restore from image.<p>Haven’t run any antivirus software in over a decade and haven’t had a single problem.
They should have to directly compensate the people they lied to.<p>Privacy violations should be expensive, so companies voluntarily dial back what they collect and retain.
[dupe]<p>More discussion on the official FTC blog about it: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39470189">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39470189</a>
> <i>In addition to a $16.5 million fine, the FTC’s proposed order prevents Avast from misrepresenting what it does with the data it collects.</i><p>Shouldn't that be the, uh, baseline for operating a business?
I interviewed there in 2013, they were most interested in my experience in some scammy mobile business. And they were actually pretty up front that most of what they do is not cracking viruses but collecting what apps people have and selling that data off
I've always been concerned about security products redirecting it users to a bundled browser.<p>>Avast's stupid response “While we disagree with the FTC’s allegations and characterization of the facts, we are pleased to resolve this matter and look forward to continuing to serve our millions of customers around the world.”<p>My ass. You were deliberately deceiving your customers in believing that they were surfing the web privately then stealing data without consent. You should be shut down.