AdAware Free is a antivirus/antimalware application that uses tracking of user interactions.
Transparency of this tracking is lacking. The installer submits every page change of its user interface to a Lavasoft server, including installation and machine identification numbers and further system information. Their privacy policy does not mention this transmission of data.
Referencing other AdAware software, the Privacy Policy admits to collect data during installation, but tries to describe the IP address as not tracing back to a user. Contrary to that, in the European Union, IP addresses are recognized as Personally Identifiable Information.
Is it spyware?
We use the ASCs definition of Tracking Software and Spyware:
- Tracking software
- Software that monitors user behavior, or gathers information about the user, sometimes including personally identifiable or other sensitive information, through an executable program.”
- Spyware
- In its narrow sense, Spyware is a term for Tracking Software deployed without adequate notice, consent, or control for the user.”
Since the term adequate is not well defined in the ASCs context, we use both the European GDPR and compare Information, Consent and Control to what is standard for Windows itself.
- Information
- Bad: No information found during installation, nor in privacy policy.
- Consent
- Bad: without information, user consent cannot be expected.
- Control
- Bad: except for blocking the telemetry host, there is no way to control.