[AndyAtHull]

You know, this is getting tiresom. These last few months we’ve seen several respectable security programs and some non-respectable take the route into including toolbars with their products. We’ve seen Lavasoft in discussions with Ask.com, Webroot’s SpySweeper including a toolbar and then ZoneLabs doing the same aswell (although some are not the full toolbar, but still pre-checked).

Is this a true sign of ethics going out the window and money being their main priority? Some argue this is the case.

Let’s take the latest application to follow this route - AVG/Grisoft. Once a leading company, and in many eyes it still is, AVG 8.0 comes bundled with Yahoo Search Bar. Although that is not a bad toolbar compared to the Ask.com toolbars, it raises the question as I have stated above …

“Is this is a true sign of ethics going out of the window and money being their main priority?“.

I remember when we blogged about CCleaner getting Yahoo on board. And as helpers, we have gotton around that by adding a simple sentance in our canned speeches. However, this time it is different.

When installing AVG 8.0 it doesn’t tell you that it’s a Yahoo Toolbar thingy, but more like an AVG Security Toolbar . Eh? Just take a look at Corrine’s blog post about this at Security Garden for screenshots.

And that’s not all. Reports suggest the toolbar is installed even when the option to include the toolbar is UN-checked. Discussions about have been popping up left, right and center.

I hope Grisoft resolve this as if they do not, we will certainly not be recommending this application as we do here. It’s just not right! Air your views about this. They are very much welcome.

(Thanks to Corrine for the tip-off)

Our Blog Link - http://www.securitycadets.com/2008/03/avgg...ame-answer-yes/

[Corrine]

I don't know if the AVG rep who posted the comment on my blog post is another of those marketing folks or just has no clue, but when I read the statement:

Quote

the majority of threats are now coming from the web, so it seems logical to start incorporating the threat protection into the browser

it raised serious concerns in my mind as to the mentality of the folks behind AVG. Perhaps it is better that the threats come from the web than from some unknown source (Visions of malware-infected sunbeams, trojan-bearing starlight . . . Beam me up, Scotty). Talk about scary.

(Of course I couldn't let the comment go without a reply .)

[AndyAtHull]

Out of interest Corrine, as you have had the time to obviously play about with it, is this only included with AVG 8.0?

This post has been edited by AndyAtHull: 02 March 2008 - 09:58 AM

[Corrine]

The changes at this time are only for the subscription/pay versions of AVG. From BBR, I learned that the free versions will not be updated until later this year. As many of us commented when Bill Pytlovany wrote about declining the Ask toolbar, for a software vendor who provides a free version, and I suppose making it available for paid subscribers, to offer an opt-in toolbar to help defray costs is certainly understandable. Consider CCleaner, for example, which also provides a "Slim" and "Portable" version without the toolbar.



Note: The links to the "free for personal use" versions of AVG software remain at 7.5:

• AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5
  
• AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition 7.5 (Grisoft)
  
• AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 (ewido)
  
• AVG Anti-Rootkit Free

[JonPaulOnLine]

Thank you for your followup

Jon

[AndyAtHull]

The ultimate difference between this and CCleaner is the fact it states it as a security toolbar but no mention of Yahoo. Obviously we all dealt with CCleaner in a professional manner, as would could do it that way of the options that where available to us.

The way AVG 8.0 and then maybe AVG 8.0 Free is providing this all is somewhat a shame. Change of the times? For sure.

[JonPaulOnLine]

AndyAtHull, on Mar 2 2008, 09:27 AM, said:

The way AVG 8.0 and then maybe AVG 8.0 Free is providing this all is somewhat a shame. Change of the times? For sure.

AVG lost my respect, because they did not display
documentation during the install that the pre-checked toolbar is Yahoo

[Corrine]

JonPaulOnLine, on Mar 2 2008, 09:17 AM, said:

Thank you for your followup

Jon

Thank you for the link to the Wilders' thread. That set me off on the investigation.