I have an ANTI-VIRUS to be SAFE from being manipulated, not to BE manipulated

system · 2017-09-08T17:45:01.000Z

I want to thank Avast for knowing without me even having to say
that I’d much rather have to struggle with unneeded problems, than just get on with my life.

EXAMPLE: I sit down at the computer this morning and there is AVAST - which is supposed to keep me safe, so I trust what it tells me, because I have to -
telling me I have an unsafe Firefox add-on that needs to be removed.

Not having fallen off the turnip truck only recently, I check first, and sure enough THAT ADD ON IS GOOD AND NEEDED. So I tell Avast, leave it alone. But before I can shut the Avast interface down and out of my hair, it starts telling me I also “NEED” to change my default search engine, from the safe one I hand picked and have relied on for years, to one that Avast and its third party payeess can manipulate. SO I TELL IT NO, AND FEEL A BIT ANGRY. And then it starts making these changes I told it not to anyway.

You ****ng piece of s**t.

I’m already unimpressed with a couple tricks you’ve tried recently, with some “safe zone” thing which turns out to be a trick to make me NOT SAFE AT ALL! AND some other equally undesirable “feature” you’ve been trying to shove on us. I DO understand it’s a free version I use and you need to try and sell upgrades, yadda, but the last thing I should have to worry about FROM my Anti-Virus program is that it’s going to start inflicting me with spyware, adware, malware…and start FORCING me to use a search engine I don’t want or install a tool bar I never asked for etc.

This may be extending past my point for you, but Firefox is disabling everyone’s add-ons, and Microsoft is forcing windows 10 on people, and I think it’s time for LINUX.

No more Windows, No more Firefox, No more Avast —> NO MORE BULL****!

Again, I do appreciate a free AV I’ve been using, and I know you need to make a living. That is all understandable.
But just as Firefox started out as unspoiled freeware - of/by/+for the people, so to speak - it did morph into a corporate predator’s little helper didn’t it.

Eddy · 2017-09-08T17:49:46.000Z

Did you check the log file what add-on avast was talking about ?

avast doesn’t tell you that you need to change your browser.

avast doesn’t make changes if you don’t wan it to.

Do you even know the difference between the Safezone and the SafeZone Browser ?

avast doesn’t inflict your system with malware.

avast doesn’t install a toolbar.

system · 2017-09-08T18:12:01.000Z

Avast DID just change my browser’s default search engine
from Duck Duck Go which does not track a user,
to Yahoo which does track people’s activity.

Avast DID just remove an add-on from my browser.

It DID do these things after asking me, to which I said DONT, and then it did it anyway.

I’ve been tricked!

And whether that safe zone thing I have no interest in is named “this” or exactly “that”, is irrelevant to me. All that does matter to this user is
at some point I found I’d been essentially attacked or invaded BY MY AV, so I had to google how to disable that thing because it’s a bad actor.

I know my attitude is a bit hostile, so your response reflects it a bit. And I apologize for that.
But everything I stated is essentially true, whether I said it nicely or in an irritated tone, it’s all true.

You know, as I said, Windows has turned into something I cant trust,
Firefox is becoming useless,
Avast is trying to trick me with things for third party interests it sold out to,
and even my e-mail server is shoving hateful awful “news” in my face every day, making my soul sick from having to witness what this society is really like.
(That last one is what makes me such a sour puss. I used to be more polite.)

I want to thank you for responding, and for your time.
If you feel my post is going to have a negative impact on Avast, by all means, delete it.
I dont wish to harm the company that has provided me with free protection for years.
I just wanted to discuss issues.

Eddy · 2017-09-08T18:20:23.000Z

avast only changes a search engine if you give permission.
avast only removes a add-on if you give permission.

About the safezone (/browser), you should care as they are two different things.

I do not see any reason why your post should be deleted.

What I do see is a user who should have spent some time learning about avast (what it does, the settings etc) and should have paid more attention to what avast shows on the screen.

system · 2017-09-08T18:56:55.000Z

Well I don’t want to argue, but I told it “NO!” and it did it anyway.
I’m not inept or dumb.
But I do thank you for talking with me.
For the time being it’s ok.

system · 2017-09-08T19:10:47.000Z

You were right about Safe Zone Browser. I looked that up, and in my records,
That’s okay (though being replaced currently), and it was actually something called “Safe Price” which I was told was shady and to remove it.
From somewhere I googled for info:

[i]"Avast, in one of their latest updates, have included an insidious, invasive thing called Avast SafePrice , a Firefox and Google Chrome browser plug in or add-on. It is, in effect, a piece of adware. This is how it works:

Avast has teamed up with a range of “partners”, shopping websites, who probably pay Avast a commission and whom Avast, by inference, certify as being “Safe” websites to purchase from…
Avast SafePrice is installed as a Firefox plug-in when you install Avast anti-virus, without your knowledge and without your explicit consent…
your Avast anti-virus already constantly monitors all websites that you visit, so Avast SafePrice is therefore able to monitor all the shopping sites you visit and all the products that you click on. No software should be allowed to do this without your knowledge and without your explicit consent…
when you are on a website viewing a product that an Avast SafePrice “partner” has in its inventory, the Avast SafePrice toolbar pops into view"
[/i]

…I took that as meaning Avast was allowing companies - for a fee - to throw ads at me, disguised as advice about being safe.
And it was installed without my knowing, so that was a trick.

Eddy · 2017-09-08T19:24:01.000Z

See, that is something else and it is your choice to install it or not if you perform a custom installation (which you should do with every software software to avoid nasty surprises).

That is correct

False, it is checked by default to be installed but the user can uncheck it.
Hence why I said to always perform a custom installation.

It only does it with the users permission.
After all, it is the user who has chosen to install it.

Correct, that is kinda how it works.
Completely useless add-on if you ask me.
It only checks prices on sites that partnered up with avast, not the site from e.g. the local bakery around the corner while that can be cheaper than all others.

Some extra info:
The SafeZone Browser is not distributed anymore since the beginning of this month.
avast is gonna release a new browser.
When is still not known.

A good tool for you could be unchecky
I would say have a look at it.

system · 2017-09-08T19:48:04.000Z

Thank you Eddy. You’re a good egg.

Eddy · 2017-09-08T20:14:03.000Z

Don’t tell that to the chicken or it will gonna sit on my head ;D

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