We’re re-publishing the following blog post from Emsisoft’s blog with permission. Once again, Emsisoft has made us proud that we have chosen them as the only anti-virus and anti-malware we recommend. You can buy or renew your Emsisoft licence and help yourself and us too by visiting our Emsisoft page.

Emsisoft: Quite Possibly The Most Privacy Conscious Anti-Malware Around

In a post-Snowden Internet, personal privacy is a top concern for more Internet citizens than it ever has been before. More than ever, people want to know if the software services they are using track their behavior and if that data is being shared with the government or being sold to third-parties.

By now, most web users have come to expect and begrudgingly accept data tracking as part of modern-day life. For this reason, many people buy Internet Security products to safeguard their identity; however, few stop to consider a frightening possibility: Is my anti-malware tracking me too?

The 2014 AV-Comparatives Data transmission of Internet security products Survey

AV-Comparatives is an independent not-for-profit organization that checks whether security software lives up to its promises. In today’s infinitely trackable web environment, one of those promises is ensuring the privacy of customer data. In keeping with its mission, AV-C set out to determine just how many security software vendors stay true to that promise. Their method was simple – run a test, conduct a survey, and compare.

21 leading anti-virus vendors from around the world participated in this comparative; and, while AV-C’s report simply lists the results and does not assign a ranking…

Emsisoft is already being recognized as one of the most privacy conscious anti-virus companies around.

How’d we do it?

Well, for starters, we are open and upfront about our End User Licensing Agreement. On top of that, we take great care to transmit as little information about our customers as possible.

Data that we DO transmit is limited to anonymous information that can help us improve our product, prevent it from being pirated, and protect our users from emerging malware.

Data that we DON’T transmit includes: IP addresses, visited URLs, Windows usernames, and most other machine and personal information that can be connected to your identity.

“Suspicious” files that our software submits for analysis are never non-executable personal documents – we only collect malicious executables so that we can study their behavior to ensure protection, and we give our users the right to opt out of such collection at all times.

We DON’T collect information harvested by malware – meaning if you submit a malware file that has infected your computer and it has collected your information, we don’t make matters worse by collecting that information too.

Our Commitment: To Become the Most Privacy Conscious Anti-Malware Vendor Around

Those interested in AV-C’s full comparative can find it here (PDF).

We hope that after viewing the facts yourself, you’ll be proud to find that you’re using an awarding winning anti-malware that doesn’t compromise on its commitment to protect its users for third-party profit or governmental interests.

In time, we hope to become known as the most privacy conscious anti-malware vendor around. At present, this means doing everything we can to keep our users’ digital worlds safe and leaving their personal data where it belongs: with them.

Have a Great (Privacy-Protected) Day!

About AV-Comparatives

AV-Comparatives is an independent not-for-profit organization offering systematic testing that checks whether security software, such as PC/Mac-based antivirus products and mobile security solutions, lives up to its promises. Using one of the largest sample collections worldwide, it creates a real-world environment for truly accurate testing. AV-Comparatives offers freely accessible results to individuals, news organizations and scientific institutions. Certification by AV-Comparatives provides an official seal of approval for software performance which is globally recognized.