Indeed, PUP detection is disabled by default for legal reasons.
That's just untrue and a big lie!
Default setting is for all (also PUPs) "automatic", i.e.: try to repair, if not possible put to chest, if not possible delete.
The reason is that avast installs the new version without announcement or warning with standard settings
By installing avast you agreed with the EULA.
Not with latest Avast, but with Avast 4.8
And as I said before, avast has the right to do so.
Nope. Even if mentioned in the EULA, such clauses are just not effective; therefore it is not covered by law to install (or replace) software without consent of the user. Not in Europe!
And avast isn't the only one with something like that in the EULA.
Does not change anything.
All other av vendors I've checked also have it.
This neither does change anything.
I also explained the part about the standard settings.
And I explained that this is a lie and not true! Try it yourself! A brand new installation is always set to "automatic" (with the options "repair" (not possible for PUPs as avast considers the whole prog as danger), put to chest (often also not possible) and then delete directly without warning!
It doesn't matter if a application is used a lot or not.
But it does matter if the application is manually excluded in the formerly installed version and then the new installation (done without consent of the user) ignores that setting!
avast can and will (depending on the settings) delete it if something malicious is detected in them and/or if they are performing malicious activity.
The problem here is that avast is defining what avast considers as malicious even if the user knows that it is not malicious.
That's why to no longer use avast!
@CraigB: installations for heavy industries, supply systems and things like that; i.e. machinery that you do not replace before 20 or 30 years of use!