My question was a serious one - I wanted and expected a serious answer. If a term used in the functional description and the user documentation of a commercial product cannot be simply defined in response to a request for its meaning, then something is badly amiss.
No, I do not know what are you asking about. The thing that connects you to these forums right now is called, hmmm... network. 
That's about as helpful as the silly faces.
This is a bit of a remnant from the avast! 4.8 where Network Shield task was TCP/IP level filtering for exploits.
Today, it does the same thing and also filters all connections (on IP and URL level).
You don't have to be on a local network (LAN) for this to work. It works even if you're connected directly to the internet.
That makes more sense, although I can't say that I'm totally happy.
However, I do now suspect that the answer merely hinges on sloppy and careless language in the product descriptions and help files.
But if the obvious and definite separation of the terms "internet" and "network" in the following statements is intentional, and not just badly written documentation, I ask, again, what exactly - in this context - is "the network"?
"
Web shield - protects your computer from viruses while using the internet...",
"
Network shield - monitors all network activity and blocks any threats that are detected on the network..."
Meanwhile, I shall leave that shield uninstalled as a possibly supernumerary component, with no sensible definition of purpose.
kb-r
