Avast Online Security browser extension - Getting Started

Block tracking systems

Websites use tracking systems to monitor visitor behavior so they can obtain statistics and other data for marketing purposes. The Avast Online Security browser extension allows you to see details of the tracking systems used by the websites you visit and block them from tracking you. When you visit a site that uses tracking systems, the number of tracking systems is visible on the Avast Online Security to the right of your address bar.

The most common types of tracking systems are Social networks, Ad Tracking, and Web Analytics. Alternative types of tracking systems fall into the Others category.

To manage website tracking systems:

1. Click the Avast Online Security icon to the right of your address bar.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon).
3. Scroll to Privacy, then tick Automatically block all trackers, or individually select the tracking systems you want to block.
4. Click Done to confirm your preferences.

The selected tracking systems are blocked for every website you visit.

Rate a website

The Avast Online Security browser extension displays information about the browsing quality of the websites you visit based on ratings from other users.

Click the Avast Online Security icon to the right of your address bar to see one of three possible ratings:

• This website is safe: other users rated the website positively.
• This site is may be untrustworthy: other users rated the website negatively.
• Unknown site: the website does not have enough ratings to determine its trustworthiness.

To contribute to the ratings, click the thumbs up or thumbs down icon depending on your experience.

These ratings help you and other users know whether the sites you visit are safe.

Manage settings

You can adjust Avast Online Security behavior to suit your preferences. To access the extension settings, follow these steps:

1. Click the Avast Online Security icon to the right of your address bar.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon).
3. Tick or untick the following settings and sub-settings:
   • Mark my search results: adds a colored shield icon to indicate the security status of search results when you use popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo!.
   • Show tooltips for search results: shows more information about the security status of a search result when you hover your cursor over its shield icon (only available when Mark my search results is enabled).
   • Secure Browser: automatically opens Bank Mode for banking websites.
   • Show total trackers on a site: shows the number of active tracking systems on each website you visit.
   • Automatically block all trackers: blocks all third-party trackers from collecting data about your online activity. Alternatively, you can individually tick the types of tracking systems you want to block.
   • Allow analysis of product performance and usage for new product development: share anonymous performance data with Avast for the purpose of developing new products.
4. Click Done to confirm your changes.