![]() ![]() The antivirus extension had been in fact harvesting and sending data back to Avast. In December 2019, Mozilla removed Avast’s antivirus browser extensions for breaking its privacy rules. Not only does Avast VPN log too much connection data, and is based in a privacy-unfriendly nation, but the company has also been caught harvesting user browsing data. However, we’ve noticed that Avast isn’t always on time updating its warrant canary, which makes it look like it has received a gag order. Right now it shows that Avast has not received any gag orders and that it has not been compromised. ![]() Warrant canaryĪvast introduced a tri-monthly warrant canary to warn users of gag orders. ![]() Its co-operation with law enforcement has since dropped to 0% for 2021 (that could be due to an exodus of trusting users, however).īut it shows that Avast has data to hand over in the first place, and that its legal jurisdiction is inappropriate for a VPN. In 2017, Avast handed over information concerning 41 of its users – 31% of all legal requests that year. ![]() In its own transparency report, Avast admitted to providing data to law enforcement in response to legal requests. It also owns the HideMyAss! (HMA) and AVG VPN services.Īvast is still headquartered in Prague, Czechia, and is therefore subject to invasive EU data retention laws and intelligence agreements with privacy-unfriendly nations like the United States. It’s best known for its antivirus software, but now sells a range of cybersecurity products. Avast VPN operates under EU jurisdictionĪvast RSO is a Czech cybersecurity company founded in 1988. Sadly, Avast makes it abundantly clear it will hand over your data to government agencies. The problem is the content of the privacy policy. Moreover, Avast has a privacy policy for its VPN specifically (and another for its browser extension), and not a vaguely worded policy for all Avast products, like other antivirus companies have. Ultimately, there are far more effective and cheaper VPNs available than Avast SecureLine.Īvast’s website explains what data it does not collect from it’s users. However, the VPN logs an unacceptable amount of user data, and it can only unblock a small selection of streaming websites. In short, Avast SecureLine is a fast VPN service that will reliably hide your IP address, preventing websites and third parties from tracking your activity and true location. The company’s troubled company history is also concerning. More worryingly, Avast VPN keeps too many user logs and is subject to EU data retention laws, too. Its server network is also limited compared to other popular VPN services. We were especially disappointed by how few streaming services it unblocks. What transpired from reviewing Avast SecureLine is that the VPN’s proprietary Avast Mimic protocol is very fast, but the VPN falls short in many key testing areas. We also tested the VPN to see how effectively it bypasses streaming and censorship content filters. In our review of Avast SecureLine VPN, we tested each application to assess the service’s ability to protect your internet privacy and security. The VPN software is consumer-friendly and easy to use, but we’ve seen far better VPNs. I have resolved this by switching OFF on the dashboard, and when I get a notification that the VPN is off, switching back ON, after which both the dashboard and the taskbar icon show that the VPN is on.Ĭan anyone shed any light on this problem? Going to the dashboard and disconnecting/reconnecting is unnecessary trouble when a user might expect that the thing just works.īy the way, has anyone found a way to contact Avast Support directly? I've been running in circles on the Support pages for some time now, and beginning to get irritated.Avast SecureLine is a mid-range VPN from cybersecurity giant Avast RSO. However, when I cllick on the icon, the dashboard that opens shows that the VPN is on. This is reflected on the Windows taskbar (Win 10) where the VPN icon shows "not active/connected". The support pages say that the "VPN cannot be programmed to start automatically when you start your system". Since the latest Avast update, I have started to see mysterious behaviour in Avast SecureLine VPN when starting up my computer. ![]()
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