Mozilla removes all Avast Firefox extensions

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

As i said so many times here and there, the masses' rule and whining geeks can cry, shout, make hundreds of post in their insignificant blogs, they are basically just a good laugh to those companies.

CEO: Wow! look at that article bashing us, Joe , how many users we lost since this was published?
Joe (sales director): 1000 from our 10 millions pool...
CEO: Damn! we going to bankrupt !
CEO & Joe: hahahahaha

 

[marg]

Firefox was once the best browser out there.! Now the cooperate fools are running it into the ground at Ludicrous Speed. IMO. Its off my computer now.!

 

[Venustus]

cooperate fools

Indeed, and it's synonymous with GREED

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

--- Sunday's cheap philosophy class started --

Greed and Envy are the foundation of progress , without them , no will to surpass the others and hence no development.

-- Sunday's cheap philosôphy class ended --

 

[Handsome Recluse]

Opera also kicked them out.

 

[Paul.R]

I have a feeling that avira will come next to line...

 

[Burrito]

In the news again today.

Chrome and Firefox users are being spied by AVG and Avast plug-ins

Suspicious AVG and Avast extensions can record the browsing data of users using Chrome or Firefox as their default browser. Chrome and Firefox web browsers

www.2-spyware.com

Avast can record almost every mouse click that the user makes during online sessions

Wladimir Palant has claimed that Avast[3] might be able to spy on each move that the user makes on the Internet sphere while completing various online activities, and so on.[4] If the suspicious extensions are installed on a person's web browser app, these tools can record data such as the URLs you have entered and visited, a UID (unique user identifier),[5] the way you enter certain websites (bookmarks, directly, etc.), details about your browser, including the browser name and last updated variant, the country code you are currently using, and the version of your OS.

 

[ichito]

Read the full article here

W. Plant ... is not the guy who is the creator of "Acceptable Adds Platform" and is responsible of taking money for whitelisting some unwanted advertisements? It's pure hypocrisy.

 

[plat]

Tentacles. I was at a large drugstore chain that had been recenlty swallowed up by another. They wouldn't take my discount card but offered me a similar type discount that required my cell phone #, which I provided. Next thing I know, I get mucho calls from strange #s. Thankfully, they don't leave voicemails or texts which would rack up the charges. It's just ridiculous: genuinely "free" and "discount" are becoming extinct, like the dodo.

All this stuff swirling around Avast and its subsidiaries, I just walk the other way. It's not wrong to mine data nowadays, but everybody has limits and Avast et al. exceeded mine a while ago. Too much bad press, too often.

 

[Fabian Wosar]

I wonder if they will remove other similar extensions as well. Last time I checked, Avira, Symantec, Bitdefender, Comodo and a couple of others did very much the same thing Avast/AVG did.

 

[blackice]

I wonder if they will remove other similar extensions as well. Last time I checked, Avira, Symantec, Bitdefender, Comodo and a couple of others did very much the same thing Avast/AVG did.

In fact Bitdefender asked for more new permissions from me in Firefox this morning (though I have the extension disabled).

 

[eonline]

and a couple of others

In other words, almost all security extensions. (?)

 

[Fabian Wosar]

In other words, almost all security extensions. (?)

Unfortunately, yes. There are some privacy-conscious extensions out there like Malwarebytes or Emsisoft Browser Security. But a lot of them will literally just report every URL and website you visit to a server somewhere.

 

[ifacedown]

Pls

Not surprised. I had installed their AV for Windows Server (Test Server) and it just pushed out a ton of garbage (intrusive analytics) to them. Avast itself is malware/spyware. Overrated junk. It was promptly removed and cleaned from the server. They are now on the AV Blacklist along with Malwarbytes who are no better. Glad to see bad applications and plugins being removed regardless of their reputations.

Pls let me know why Malwarebytes is no better.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Emsisosft and Malwarebytes are the 2 companies I respect the most due to their privacy policies and superb customer support.

 

[Protomartyr]

Besides Malwarebytes Browser Guard asking for an email when it previously didn't require one, I'm not aware of any privacy violations that stand out. There's an option to turn off telemetry in the extension.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

When the extension first came out they were asking for emails stating that they would never be shared, however, due to feedback in their forum this was removed and they do not ask for emails anymore.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

I wonder why people are so concerned about telemetry, most are anonymous datas needed by devs/companies to get precise infos on how their products behave and are used.

By logic, if you install a software on your system, it means you trust the vendor. So if if you trust it, why being so concerned by datas it may gathers...
Same logic, when you live with a roomate, you trust her with some personal details about your life.

As far as I know, the worst intrusive telemetry in extensions made by respectable companies would only collect, IPs, URLs and eventually your machine or browser profile name . They aren't (I hope) keyloggers.

Of course, it is better if they don't mine you, but it is up to them and their business plan (you have no control over it), however you can mitigate it via some methods if you feel uncomfortable.

 

[Paul.R]

Emsisosft and Malwarebytes are the 2 companies I respect the most due to their privacy policies and superb customer support.

Don't forget about Ikarus, thier support is good and plus on that look at their privacy policy (I use it on mobile - trial for now)

Privacy Policy - IKARUS Security Software

IKARUS Security Software entwickelt und betreibt IT- und OT-Sicherheitslösungen von der eigenen Scan Engine über Cloud-Services bis hin zu SOC, SiEM und Log Management-Services.

www.ikarussecurity.com

 

[Burrito]

I wonder why people are so concerned about telemetry, most are anonymous datas needed by devs/companies to get precise infos on how their products behave and are used.

By logic, if you install a software on your system, it means you trust the vendor. So if if you trust it, why being so concerned by datas it may gathers...
Same logic, when you live with a roomate, you trust her with some personal details about your life.

As far as I know, the worst intrusive telemetry in extensions made by respectable companies would only collect, IPs, URLs and eventually your machine or browser profile name . They aren't (I hope) keyloggers.

Of course, it is better if they don't mine you, but it is up to them and their business plan (you have no control over it), however you can mitigate it via some methods if you feel uncomfortable.

While unfortunate.... this is probably the most logical and reasonable philosophical approach.

Minimize exposure and mitigate to a point that is not too cumbersome.... but accept that this is just part of internet usage.