Why are you bundling a commercial version of Mcafee with Adobe DC reader

[willytk]

Sorry to be saying this, but I turned 70 this year and am unhappy with where applications like Adobe seem to be going.  I needed a new version for my Windows 10 system as Microsoft's Edge program fails to open some of my Adobe files.  Downloaded the 'Adobe dc reader' and it does its job.  But I was puzzled by the two applications that were bundled with it, apparently a scanner and a partially crippled McAfee virus scanner.  I did not ask for these or see anything about them in the download offer on the Adobe site.  To add insult to injury at boot the next morning the McAfee program installed a second on-line virus scanner on its own.  I have since uninstalled both, but would rather not have to go through this when I am attempting just to download the Adobe Reader.  I fear this behavior of infecting my computer with unsolicited software which McAfee then wants me to pay for and the resent Facebook abuse of user privacy fall into the general area of software vendors no longer respecting user rights.  Its sad  Adobe's free reader is a nice service, but I gather the world is changing to a more commercial nature and Adobe just couldn't resist infecting their download with McAfee products.

[try67 · Accepted solution]

I don't work for Adobe or speak on their behalf, but I'll try to answer your questions:

- It's a common practice to bundle commercial applications with free software. It's one of the ways the company can offset the development costs of such applications.

- These applications are bundled by default with Reader, but there's a clear way of disabling it before downloading the installer, by ticking off the two check-boxes that appear on the download page's "Optional Offers" section, which I've highlighted in this screenshot I took of it just now:

- I agree that it would have been better to have these boxes ticked off by default and allow the user to "opt-in" to have them, instead of "opting-out".

- This has nothing to do the latest Facebook scandal, as it's not a user privacy issue in any way.

[willytk]

Interesting.  I got no such screen, but the applications were installed.

I obtained a Master's degree in Computer Science in 1986 and its not the sort of warning I would have ignored.  I was interested enough to uninstall the application, then download and run the installer again.

Behavior today was different, again no such screen as you posted, but neither did it install Mcafee either.  Something has changed in the last 24 hours.  Be nice if Adobe would be willing to address this.  I will continue to disagree with you about the nature of privacy and whether the meaning of customer service is changing for the worse.

[BeyondSamarkand]

Just installed Adobe Reader two days ago. This screen no longer comes up.

Adobe is the only software I download that still does this. Do they own Mcafee? No one I know needs another anti-virus these days. The ship has sailed. Adobe continuing to prompt installation, or worse stealth install, what is essentially crapware surprises me. 

[Aaron22775026bim5]

Reference: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/why-on-earth-is-mcafee-being-installed-when-i-att...

So, they claim it's optional... 

After trying to install the simple free version of acrobat reader, I found that Mcafee was also being installed, though given no option. I had to manually cancel the Mcafee installations by force closing the installer. Somehow, acrobat reader was able to install, while I was able to cancel the Mcafee installation.

For any of you that don't already know, Mcafee Antivirus is basically a virus itself. Think about it. Remember all those stupid Mcafee notifications you could never find a way to disable? Have you witnessed a noticeable difference in performance with vs. without?

Mcafee might not be a trojan horse or a worm, but would compare well with a common cold. 'Deadly' virus or not this program is terrible for the health/performance of your PC. They claim its optional, but is it really optional if they try to mislead you into thinking it isn't? Don't be a victim, force close your installer if you must!

For a very inappropriate, yet informative video on how to uninstall Mcafee see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKgf5PaBzyg&t=156s

[try67]

Each time I open the download page for Reader (https://get.adobe.com/reader/) these check-boxes appear, and they are always unselected by default. However, others have reported that they appear selected by default, or not at all.

I think the former is determined by your location. If you access it from the EU (like I do), where there are strict rules about opting-in to such offers, it seems the check-boxes are disabled. My guess is that's not the case if you access it from the US, and probably other places, too.

I have yet to see evidence of these boxes not appearing at all, so if you could provide it, that would be interesting. Please send a screenshot of the page from which you get the installer, not the installer itself (as it's too late at that point).

[JR Boulay]

MOVED TO THE ACROBAT READER FORUM