Avast secure browser's private mode installed startpage search engine

About a week ago after a remote tune-up Avast secure browser for windows installed Startpage as default search engine. The simple question that it’s now taken a week without getting an answer is is this malicious or legit partnership with avast? Frustrated. Somebody at Avast should know how to deal with this. When I check the community I see others have had this problem for some time so why doesn’t tech support know how to resolve?

Hi Jerald5,

We want to assure you that this partnership with Startpage is completely legitimate and designed with your privacy in mind. The primary goal of using Startpage in Private Mode is to enhance your online privacy while searching.

For more details on why we’ve partnered with Startpage and the benefits it offers, you can read the official article here: How Startpage Works.

If you prefer to use a different search engine, you can easily switch by going to Settings > Search Engine or by navigating directly to secure://settings/search.

Thank you for your trust and support!