Uncovering Unethical Practices: My Experience with AVG on My Late Grandfather’s Computer

It is with a heavy heart that I share my recent experience while clearing out my late grandfather’s house. As I sifted through his belongings, I encountered an unexpected and disheartening reminder of the predatory practices that can take advantage of vulnerable individuals. Specifically, I am referring to the questionable tactics employed by AVG software, which I found on my grandfather’s computer.

Upon booting up the machine, I was greeted with a frustratingly slow performance that did not correspond with its hardware capabilities. Curious to understand the cause, I opened the task manager and was alarmed to discover that AVG was monopolizing the system’s resources—yet, it appeared to be doing little more than running unnecessary processes. Attempts to disable certain functions or remove them from startup were met with resistance, creating a cycle where the very software meant to protect the computer was instead rendering it nearly unusable.

As I browsed through the email archives, I stumbled upon a series of messages from AVG, which openly acknowledged the sluggishness of the computer while prompting him to subscribe to their “AVG TuneUp” service for £45 a year. To me, this read as a troubling admission: a proposal to ease the burden of their software on his computer, for an additional fee.

The subscriptions my grandfather had accumulated were astounding. He was enrolled in multiple AVG services, including AVG Security, AVG TuneUp, AVG VPN, and even AVG Driver Updates. The latter raised an eyebrow—who charges extra for driver updates? It felt almost ludicrous to have to pay separately for something that should generally be included in software maintenance.

Further examination revealed that my grandfather had been using AVG’s secure browser, which drained every ounce of computing power at its disposal. Meanwhile, attempts to utilize more common browsers like Chrome or Edge led to constant redirections to AVG’s warnings about supposed risks, urging him to switch to their secure browser for protection. It was disheartening to realize how an innocent intent to browse the internet for personal interests had been warped into a small fortune wasted on these unnecessary services.

Reflecting on this experience is infuriating. My grandfather, a gentle soul and not particularly tech-savvy, had simply wanted to watch sports and delve into military history online. Instead, he was ensnared in a web of subscriptions amounting to nearly £120 (almost $150). If someone had come to his door and taken