To uninstall Avast SecureLine on an iOS Device, do the following: Find the Avast SecureLine VPN icon on your home screen. Press and hold the icon for a few seconds. All the app icons will begin to vibrate, indicating they can be deleted. Tap the x button in the top left corner of the Avast SecureLine App icon. Avast is not a Windows or Microsoft Product. The manufacturer of your PC installed that as an extra on your PC and you should remove all trace of Avast form your PC, Secureline is not free. You can use the Avast Removal Tool to take Avast off your PC: https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility.
Online privacy is a growing concern as the average users are becoming more aware of the threats their personal and private data has on the internet. The attention of people towards data security grew tremendously after the recent privacy breaches and leaks came into light.
Internet users now more than ever want to take steps that ensure that their information does not end up in the wrong hands. One way of ensuring your privacy regarding your search history, browsing history and other sensitive information is maintained is to use a reliable, highly trusted VPN service.
Avast SecureLine VPN is rated as one of the best VPN services that offer a combination of impressive privacy features, easy usability, versatility and great speeds. In this Avast VPN review, we examine all the features that make Avast VPN great; we will also consider the weak points of the service.
All of the pricing plans offer the same features, so you do not get any additional benefits for paying a lump sum amount. Apart from the pricing plans, Avast doesn’t provide many payment options either. You either have to pay via credit card or PayPal; whereas, other payment options like Bitcoin, Perfect Money, etc.
Avast SecureLine is popularly known for offering lightning-fast speeds on all servers across the globe.
So, we decided to test the speed by connecting Avast SecureLine to our server in Tennessee, US.
According to the below speed test results, my download speed was 66.78 Mbps
After connecting to a server in the UK, the download speed changed to 66.96 Mbps
A server in Germany showed the download speed of 43.19 Mbps
What surprised me was the download speed when I connected to a server in Australia. The download speed dropped to 2.31 Mbps
Although the decreased download speed did surprise me; however, the browsing and online streaming performance remained consistent. So, you may not get the same download speed on all server locations; however, you will not be disappointed by Avast review SecureLine VPN’s browsing and online streaming performance.
Avast SecureLine is virtual private network service that was launched in 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic by cybersecurity software firm Avast Software s.r.o. The cybersecurity software company has been in business for over 30 years.
Avast SecureLine is available for PC operating systems, mobile operating systems, smart televisions and can work on five devices with no bandwidth limits.
Avast has a lackluster network of 55 servers in 34 countries, which is much lower than other top-rated VPN services. Among their small number of server location, only a handful of countries have servers in more than one city with the highest number located in the US – 16 cities.
Avast SecureLine VPN does offer a 7-day free trial for PC, Mac, and iOS devices. Although many other VPN services offer a free trial, but what we love about the Avast SecureLine VPN’s free trial is that you can enjoy all the features that are included in the paid subscription. So, if you are not sure about purchasing any of Avast SecureLine VPN’s paid plans, you can try their ‘all features included’ 7-day trial for free.
Avast SecureLine provides IPSec and OpenVPN protocols on UDP with a military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. The 256-bit encryption is regarded as the strongest in the industry right now, so you can be sure that you have only the best encryption securing your information.
As per our tests and the information available on the Avast SecureLine website and other online sources, this VPN service allows torrent downloads and peer-to-peer connections.
According to the Avast VPN P2P connections are carried out by the following data centre locations:
Avast SecureLine follows a strict “no logs” policy, Avast will not be keeping records of your online activity, except connection logs for “diagnostic purposes and to prevent abuse of the VPN connection.”
The customer support service of Avast is top-notch. They offer free diagnosis service on call, helpful articles, support pages, and a user forum. You can use the search tool to quickly find solutions to most issues you might be facing with the service.
However, there is no live chat or customer support service through email, which can be a huge drawback for some.
The Avast SecureLine VPN service is available for the following devices and operating systems:
Software is easy to use, even for beginners across the different platforms. Functions like IP address, changing your location, customizing your settings take little to no time which a simple click or tap (if you are using the mobile version)
Avast SecureLine does include the convenient kill-switch function, which extremely helpful for protecting your information in case your connection is lost. Kill switches work by detecting the termination of your network connection is about to terminate and automatically kill your current session to protect your data.
After digging around for information about previous Avast Securelire DNS or WebRTC leaks, we are happy to announce that we found no records of any leaks. This is excellent news shows because it gives you the peace of mind that Avast is committed to keeping you and your information secure.
With Avast SecureLine VPN, you are protected from the threat of adware and malware in two ways: first, the VPN software for both mobile and desktop are free from any adware and malware. Second, the VPN service can protect you from downloading malicious files.
If you are looking for additional protection by setting up the VPN on your router, you will be disappointed by Avast SecureLine VPN as it cannot be set up on routers. No router support is a significant con that may be a deal-breaker for many VPN users. Why? Because with router support, you do not have to log in to the VPN every time you log on.
Router support allows better overall device protection, and you can even protect devices apart from PCs, Mac devices, Avast for Android devices, Avast for iPhone devices, and Android TVs. Without router support, your IoT devices, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other devices will remain unprotected.
Netflix is hands down the most popular online entertainment streaming service. For most VPN users having Netflix compatibility is essential. Even though all VPN services are having issues with providing VPN compatibility. However, some VPNs do ensure Netflix compatibility, so this is a significant disadvantage of Avast SecureLine.
On the other hand, VPN services are always working to ensure that they provide Netflix unblocking feature to their users, so maybe you would be able to enjoy Netflix with Avast VPN Netflix in the future. But, for now, you would have to find a substitute if you want to enjoy Netflix.
If you overlook its list of disadvantages/lacking, Avast SecureLine does offer excellent value for money. Features like no logging, torrent support, and fast connection – makes Avast SecureLine worth the price. However, it depends on your requirements, if features like Netflix compatibility and router support is essential for you, then there are undoubtedly much better and even more affordable VPN options that you most definitely go for.
Mark is a cyber security enthusiast. He loves to spread knowledge about cybersecurity with his peers. He also loves to travel and writing his travel diaries.
This week, an investigation by Motherboard and PC Mag revealed that security brand Avast was using its antivirus software to collect personal user data. The news came just weeks after it had stopped collecting information from its browser plug-in.
Avast has told us that is hasn't been harvesting information from its Secureline VPN product, although privacy-conscious Avast users are bound to feel cautious after this latest news.
Avast isn't alone in selling user data, but its methods are under scrutiny after this latest investigation. We explain what you need to know.
Unsure about Avast Secureline? See our guide to the Best VPNs for 2020
The investigation, a joint probe by Motherboard and PC Mag, focused on leaks that the publications have obtained. These show that Avast has been selling its users' data to high profile customers, such as Google, Yelp and Pepsi. The information – which Avast maintains is anonymous – has been harvested and repacked for a subsidiary, Jumpshot, which it obtained in 2013. In a 2015 post on its site, Avast explained how the collected data is used and personal data removed:
“We provide Jumpshot with anonymized and aggregated data that we collect from scanning the 150 billion URLs our users visit each month. Using Jumpshot’s patent-pending algorithm, all of the personally identifiable information is removed from the data before it leaves Avast servers. Nothing can be used to identify or target individuals.”
While Avast claims that it has always been open with its users about the data collected – and offered opt-outs for that that didn't want their data harvested – it certainly ran into problems with major browser operators. A number of browsers removed the Avast plug-in from their services after news of the data collection started to filter through last October. Google, Mozilla and Opera all took the decision to remove the problematic plug-in from their stores.
While Avast has stated that it has stopped data collection via its browser plug-ins, it is still gathering information from the free version of its antivirus software, via an opt-in option. According the leaked documents obtained by Motherboard and PC Mag, this data includes information such as the URLs visited by device, plus when and where the browsing happened. The data shows GPS locations, viewed YouTube videos, and even search terms entered on porn sites.
Avast Secureline is a VPN product from the same company. It promises – as all VPNs do – to keep your data private and hide your identity online. Many VPN users would be horrified of the thought of their data being collected in some way. It's a practice we've seen in free VPNs, but as Secureline is a paid-for product, users wouldn't expect to have their information recorded.
Secureline customers are no doubt concerned about the news of Avast collecting information, but we have seen no indication that the company is adopting the same practice with Secureline. All the information available has shown that while the browser plug-in and antivirus software have been used to collect information, nothing points to Secureline being included in this list. VPN products live and die by their ability to provide protection and privacy to paying customers, so it would be something of a misfire on Avast's part to risk this relationship through data collection.
Update: We reached out to Avast and asked for confirmation as to whether Secureline users were having their data collected. It told us that no data is ever taken from Secureline. An Avast spokesperson stated:
“In December 2019, we acted quickly to meet browser store standards and are now compliant with browser extension requirements for our online security extensions. At the same time, we completely discontinued the practice of using any data from the browser extensions for any other purpose than the core security engine, including sharing with our subsidiary Jumpshot.
We ensure that Jumpshot does not acquire personal identification information, including name, email address or contact details. Users have always had the ability to opt out of sharing data with Jumpshot. As of July 2019, we had already begun implementing an explicit opt-in choice for all new downloads of our AV, and we are now also prompting our existing free users to make an opt-in or opt-out choice, a process which will be completed in February 2020.
Our Privacy Policy details the protections we put in place for all our users. Users can also choose to adjust their privacy levels using the broad range of settings available in our products, including control over any data sharing at any time. We voluntarily comply with the GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) privacy requirements across our entire global user base.
We have a long track record of protecting users’ devices and data against malware, and we understand and take seriously the responsibility to balance user privacy with the necessary use of data for our core security products.”
In its coverage, Motherboard reached out to users of Avast antivirus software and found that many of them were unaware that their data was being collected. The story serves as a good reminder to be vigilant and check the permissions you have given to your software provider, to ensure you are happy with the information it is actively harvesting about you.
There's a lot of websites and software out there that are collecting your data, and there's a reason. Money. A profile of you as an individual, your likes, dislikes, spending habits and so on are invaluable to companies with deep pockets.
To protect your identity, especially in the week that Data Privacy Day happens to land, it's worth taking a few minutes out of your day to double check what you're giving away, even if you think your information is secure. So, check your profiles, remove the right to collect information or target you for advertising if you're not happy with it, and take back control of your online persona.