I don't consider this thread off topic, or about politics in any way shape or form. It is about whether or not avast! should have included an "off topic" pop-up advertisement within their product. It wasn't a pop-up promoting a paid version of their product, but rather a pop-up regarding an issue that has nothing to do with computer security. My interpretation of the definition of adware is a piece of software that displays unwanted and unsolicited advertisements. If I wanted my security product to ask me my personal opinion regarding US politics, then I would have asked them for such a feature.
All of this "off topic" talk is just a way for people to direct the discussion away from the actual issue, which is, is it acceptable for your security product to invade a users privacy simply because they can?