Hello, I wanted to write up a somewhat formal complaint regarding the Avast "free" software product.
I've used Avast for many years. In general, it works well per my own opinion, particularly the "real-time" file/behavior shields, etc. Unfortunately I've been noticing a gradual increase in concerns and disappointments regarding the software. Unnecessary to list every personal issue or concern that I have, and a waste of the reader's time.
But namely, a software that allegedly collects varying kinds of private/personal user data, including but not limited to device mouse click/movement/position data, to name one example - for any reason or purpose, is, in my opinion, an example of malicious software. To add insult to injury, most examples of antivirus/security software are generally by nature rather elevated in terms of the software's capabilities. It's something that requires human trust when matters of personal privacy and digital security are at risk.
Secondly, I sent a personal email recently, and I immediately noticed that, at least from what I could see on my end, Avast had automatically formatted and injected a message into the text body of my correspondence, stating that the email is "virus free" and it included the brand name "Avast" as a clickable link.
I just wanted to publicly express my disappointment. I've lost trust in Avast, and I'll be needing to seek out other digital security software choices, now.
