Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: REDACTED on January 17, 2017, 05:14:51 PM
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I just received a pop-up from Avast antivirus linking to a page with an article from Gary Kasparov talking about faking news? It's outrageous that you are now using your software to send me political views. You are an antivirus company, not a news outlet. Do not do this again, I find it Orwellian and inappropriate. I couldn't care less about Kasparov's views or his status as a 'Avast Security Ambassador', whatever that's supposed to mean, he's not a programmer of antivirus software is he?
I want security from you, not political views thinly veiled as 'security news'.
Using your software to do so is an abuse of the trust of your users. You have no right to do this without my permission. It's no different than spam, i.e. sending messages I didn't ask for.
Stick to antivirus, if I want political messages I'll go to a news site.
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Yeah, got it as well. Pretty bloody stupid, eh?
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Please post in the correct forum next time.
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Are you talking about this ?
https://blog.avast.com/trump-putin-and-the-dangers-of-fake-news
It is just usual anti-Russian diarrhea.
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Please post in the correct forum next time.
You mean like Avast posted in the 'correct forum' for political views it's promoting, hijacking my antivirus software to do so? My antivirus software did something I did not give it permission to do. This forum is called 'Avast Free/Pro/IS/Premier, Avast Free/Pro/IS/Premier topics and issues, not viruses or false alarms here!" I have an issue.
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I haven't received this on any of my three systems, perhaps because I'm not in the USA I don't know.
I did have a quick look at the blog article and promptly fell asleep, too damn long, if there any computer security points in there they are too damn hard to find. But that is all there should be in the article.
What a so called avast security ambassador is talking about this is beyond me. I believe it has no place in the avast blog and even less being sent to avast users.
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Please post in the correct forum next time.
I just received a pop-up from Avast antivirus linking to a page with an article from Gary Kasparov talking about faking news?
I would say it is in the right forum if avast sent it to avast users via their avast installations.
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I received it since I subscribe to notifications of new Avast blog posts.
As to the contents of the post, that's a different thing and will either be favorably
or unfavorably be received depending on you personal views. :o [size=78%] [/size]
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I received it since I subscribe to notifications of new Avast blog posts.
As to the contents of the post, that's a different thing and will either be favorably
or unfavorably be received depending on you personal views. :o [size=78%] [/size]
With respect, it's utterly irrelevant if I "favorably or unfavorably" receive this. That's not the issue. The issue is promoting any political view in a notification system for an antivirus product. Whether you support Trump or Hillary, (I support neither for the record, sadly in these polarized times I have to say that), no matter what your politics, it is totally inappropriate, highly questionable in fact, to abuse this to promote what is clearly a highly polarised view. Kasparov might be right, or he might be wrong, but again - not the point here.
Avast, do not do this again.
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I received it since I subscribe to notifications of new Avast blog posts.
As to the contents of the post, that's a different thing and will either be favorably
or unfavorably be received depending on you personal views. :o
I just can't get my head round why it is even in the avast blog and even more so in the avast popups. I just can't see what it has to do with security.
The main problem for me is that the article being massive who is going to spend so much time trying to extract any possibly security related information worthy of being in the blog much less the avast UI/popups.
As they stay clear of politics and religion as you will have an uphill battle stating your cause/reasoning.
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I received it since I subscribe to notifications of new Avast blog posts.
As to the contents of the post, that's a different thing and will either be favorably
or unfavorably be received depending on you personal views. :o
I just can't get my head round why it is even in the avast blog and even more so in the avast popups. I just can't see what it has to do with security.
The main problem for me is that the article being massive who is going to spend so much time trying to extract any possibly security related information worthy of being in the blog much less the avast UI/popups.
As they stay clear of politics and religion as you will have an uphill battle stating your cause/reasoning.
I had voiced that same concern directly to Avast when I first read the blog post. :(
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I agree with David and Bob,
However, from a Historical perspective, I can imagine that a Chech based company has sympathy for the former World Champion Chess and Political Activist Garry Kasparov.
Greetz, Red
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His relationship with avast is as an Avast Security Ambassador (where he discusses cybersecurity and the digital future) and this appears to be neither of these.
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This really feels totally out of place, especially if users get a popup about it. It's not security related in any way.
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Hi RejZoR,
Agree with you, bob3160 & DavidR,
Just for the blog to remain far from taking any position in such a debate,
let them just be careful with hyperlinks like that: -https://www.the-parallax.com/aboutus/
taking a particular position.
Avast Team is capable enough to make it's own independant blog content and it has always been a good thing for everyone to steer away from discussing two subjects politics and/or religion or religion and/or politics in public for that matter.
The good proverb says: "Cobbler, stick to thy last" or in latin: "Sutor, ne ultra crepidam".
And avast's 'last' here stands for security as it is an anti-virus vendor, and a global player as such.
polonus
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Some folks have also found out that it's not nice to p... of The Donald. :)
After all, he will soon be the President. Tweet, tweet, tweet. :)
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And I agree with RejZoR as well,
But ( as a last political statement ) I can understand the worries from the Chech people about recent Eastern ( European ) and Western ( American ) deverlopments :-\
Greetz, Red.
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Hi, I agree this was little bit over the line from our marketing team and we are pulling the toaster down. Thanks for raising this issue to us.
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Good business practice is to stay away from politics. Just ignore them entirely even if people ask you about it. I've seen people go batshit insane if anyone just dares to mention support of Donald Trump. And all this even before he actually and officially became president and actually did something bad. People are just going crazy for no reason. And when you divide your userbase from 100% down to 50% because some people don't like one or another candidate, you're only doing harm to your business. So, best way is to just avoid it entirely.
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Good business practice is to stay away from politics. Just ignore them entirely even if people ask you about it. [...] And when you divide your userbase from 100% down to 50% because some people don't like one or another candidate, you're only doing harm to your business. So, best way is to just avoid it entirely.
+1
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This really feels totally out of place, especially if users get a popup about it. It's not security related in any way.
In the contrary - such behaviour ist highly security related as it compromises the security software itself.
If this should be tolerated, we will be floated with nonsense & hoaxes in the future. And no one will extract important news >:(
The main problem is NOT politics yes/no but unrelated issues for security themes ...
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When it comes to (computer) security/privacy, you can't get by politics.
Politicians make rules/laws that have influence on security/privacy.
e.g.
Some are trying force software makers to have a back-door in their applications so governmental instances (police, FBI, CIA, NSA, BVD, Cheka, NKGB, MGB, etc) can see what you are doing.
If governmental instances can spy on you, so can the bad guys.
It is a huge security risk.
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Hi Eddy,
You can discuss anything technically involved here. How to detect governmental trojans for instance or obstacles that hinder freedom of expression. That is all OK and very much what an av vendor should do, but you should abstain from politics as such and not add to the controversy.
Yes discuss whether there is a bug in Whatsapp and what is the implication for the users. OK to discuss whether outsourcing and going to the cloud is bad for governmental platforms and to add to info data breaches.
Discuss the latest rootkit detection and removal. All perfectly OK, but refrain from profiling what global politician has the best hack team and why, that is just being irrational. As irrational as the discussion whether the Easter Bunny is real or part of mythology? Here on the forums, we call this procedure - keep on-topic or not.
Damian
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Not sure if the Easter Bunny exists, but the Playboy Bunnies do ;D
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Not sure if the Easter Bunny exists, but the Playboy Bunnies do ;D
But, they aren't real. A lot of them have plastic parts. ;D
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Hi Gopher John
Didn't you know, that led by Santa Claus, the Guardians include the Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, and the Sandman.
They all look for and find easter eggs in software, bugs and backdoors.
polonus
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Hi Gopher John
Didn't you know, that led by Santa Claus, the Guardians include the Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, and the Sandman.
They all look for and find easter eggs in software, bugs and backdoors.
polonus
The danger really gets critical if they gain access to the front door. :)
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Especially when most people leave all the doors (and windows) unlocked, usually open at that.
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Don't forget to also protect this door:
(http://screencast-o-matic.com/screenshots/u/Lh/1484823672336-22919.png)
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Don't forget to also protect this door:
(http://screencast-o-matic.com/screenshots/u/Lh/1484823672336-22919.png)
I think we are drifting too far from the core issue of this topic.
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I actually found this topic because I was looking for an Avast plugin that would notify me of fake news.
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I actually found this topic because I was looking for an Avast plugin that would notify me of fake news.
Is there a question ?
This is actually an old topic. :)