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. This is the most sensitive information that no VPN should keep. Sadly, we consider this is an intrusive logging policy.Īt least, Avast SecureLine doesn’t store your original IP address, DNS queries, or browsing history. There’s no real justification for this practice. Subscription activation code and renewal date.Īvast’s servers store your connection data for 35 days, and any client data (account information) for up to two years.Email, app version, internal identifier.Connection attempts and connection errors.

Ultimately, there are far more effective and cheaper VPNs available than Avast SecureLine.Īvast VPN service collects the following data: In short, Avast VPN is very fast, but its logging policy and inability to unblock streaming platforms are problematic. 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 extensively 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 much better VPNs. Avast SecureLine is a mid-range VPN from cybersecurity giant Avast RSO.

What is avast secureline review