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  1. avast doesn’t have to communicate that to users, it is something outside of its control. It can’t influence what email protocols they use, for instance they could decide to go completely webmail so it would be viewed through the browser not an email client.

avast! is no different to the majority of other anti-virus programs that can’t scan secure email, that is the whole purpose of secure email. If you were to use MS Outlook there is a difference in that avast can work inside MS Outlook so that can scan email content. The Internet Mail provider operates ‘outside’ the email program so is ‘outside’ the secure encryption and that is a fact not limited to avast’s email scanner.

  1. No I’m not saying that, the key word is might “They might well scan your email on the server” this is an option with some ISPs and email services.

It is because of your comment that I suggested things that they could do such as scanning their email servers and things that they couldn’t do, scan your system without your compliance.

Perhaps they're going to launch their own Antivirus program and are cutting out all the other guys in a pre-emptive strike.