After searching for reviews of firewalls & backup software, came across the matousec.com site, which placed Comodo’s free CIS product top choice. I was about to install CIS free, thinking also to let it also replace my AVG8.5 free, but 1st download failed, then when checking for other independant reviews of CIS, I came across an article called ‘Dark Side of Comodo’ which refered to a since deleted article at Softpedia, heavily criticising Comodo for: collecting much personal data off users pc’s, a murky EULA, and using intrusive adware.
I accept a freeware firewall needs to be financed, either by corporate paid for version, or adverts, but this article implied Comodo were bordering on the very malware users expect to be protected from.
Very annoying news as I spent much time googling net to find independant reviews, which are very hard to come by, as most hits not reviews at all, just using word ‘review’ to get visitors to visit the site.
Grateful if Comodo & users can answer the following: not sure if the article I mentioned, and the ‘Posts’ appended to it, gave a balanced view, so I would appreciate COMODO’s statement protecting users privacy and not flogging it off complete with personally identifiable data.
Can folks point me to any links of independant reviewers to reassure me about the claims that Comodo are in effect spying on users by collecting their personal data ?
Thanks for any good review links to free firewalls and/or backup software
You should understand that Comodo has many enemies trying to discredit the Company, because they are providing good security for free which is upsetting a lot of folk who are worried for their future employment with the old and bloated security providers.
I would suggest that you have a good search through this forum where all these rumours have been discussed at length before, then decide for yourself whether the software is for you.
This being the internet such malicious stories tend to spread as they are passed on by a few posters in many forums.
You won’t get a better firewall and it will certainly not be spying on you.
Much of the Softpedia criticism boiled down to the fact that in the installation process of CIS the choice for installing the toolbar (based on Ask toolbar) was opt out (you need to untick the installation of the toolbar). This made Softpedia mark CIS as adware. The security industry does not define adware as Softpedia did/does.
I am not sure about the exact content of the article you are referring to. During heated debates about Comodo being adware people were rehashing the behaviour of Ask toolbar in its old incarnation which had a bad reputation. Ask changed its ways years ago and delivers a clean and reputable toolbar and makes sure the software it bundles it with is reputable as well.
Softpedia and Comodo finally reached an agreement about the classification of CIS as ad supported (not adware anymore) and things are now cool. Softpedia offers Comodo ad supported products for download as ad supported.
Can folks point me to any links of independant reviewers to reassure me about the claims that Comodo are in effect spying on users by collecting their personal data ?
WoW, that made my day :) kind of funny to see that
seriously, don’t believe everything you read, it’s just like anything else in life
Thankyou all for your helpful assistance. Seems very sensible and gives me enough confidence to try out the Comodo FireWall. I currently have occasional internet access, but guess the new FW best installed WHILE I am online so it knows the environment I need protecting from during install/setup time ?
Still would appreciate any links to independant reviews of Firewalls, and also my next big Security problem, lack of a good free Backup Programme. I have 2 external USB disks, one of them (via a SATA bridge) is 1 Terrabyte. I am looking for what used to be a traditional features: User specified Scripts, to allow user specified volumes, folders, files, using standard zip or 7z compression, Complete or Incremental, Verification of Backup integrity, logs and catalogues of what/where/when is backedup, and Restore options either individual file or folder, to whole volumes.
Can you give the link to the article in question?
I would like to read this very much. I am also assuming that it is a poor review because of the ASK toolbar.
