A Hundred Million Avast Users Can't All Be Wrong

As Pavel Baudis, Co-Founder, and Vince Steckler, CEO of ALWIL, pointed out, we are just another 22-year-old overnight success company, who is now one of the world’s largest players in computer security. Vince emphasized that ALWIL is the company and “Avast” is the product by which they are known.

An understatement, considering at the time we aired the show, ALWIL had One Hundred and Twelve Million customers using “Avast”, which is approximately twenty percent of the entire computer market worldwide. More astounding is that this has occurred in the last six years.

Vince Steckler, CEO of Avast - Guest of CHWradio

Beginning in 2003 and 2004, ALWIL change their business model, and offered Avast, their flagship booty, free. Obviously, starting from practically zero and accomplishing a user base of 112,000,000 users in six years is impressive. Having a free product that doesn’t work will not sustain positive growth to achieve one hundred and twelve million users. Avast, is not only free, but also a great product, and in many cases just as good as other paid versions.

While the major costs of others like Norton, Symantec, Trend Micro, or Kaspersky, etc. may run as much as a billion dollars to market products through the big box outlets, Avast is totally, marketed through word of mouth; entirely on users recommendations.

What sets Avast apart is the fact it is free, secondly, the technology is the most advanced and cutting edge available, and thirdly is the community. Earlier, Vince had pointed out that the software is not expensive as compared to the three major expenses:

• Marketing
• Selling
• Support

It can cost billions of dollars to satisfy these three factors.

“Community” is the last item mentioned in what sets Avast apart from any other security company. After listening to what Vince and Pavel had to say, this one feature is undeniably the most significant factor that has afforded them a hundred and twelve million loyal Avast users. Their relationship with their community is the dream of any of the later mentioned corporations spending a billion dollars on marketing, and speaks volumes on the goodwill ALWIL has with its community.

An Extended Family - You Can't Help But Feel Welcomed

The Avast community and their involvement is what allow ALWIL to offer Avast free. The Avast support comprises 10-12 individuals to handle approximately 300 customer service calls, while the other 180,000 other support requests are handled by the online community, and typically without much delay. The Avast community is without a doubt one of ALWIL’s greatest assets…The Community picks up a significant, if not almost all the costs associated with three major expenses: Marketing – Selling – and Support.

When a community provides this kind of support, you should ask yourself what is in it for them…A Hundred and Twelve Million People Can’t Be Wrong.

david c ballard

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Aloha, we want to send a Special Thank You to our new “Consequential Stranger” Chris Duque…

Christopher Duque is a thirty year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department and had just recently retired in February of 2007. While with HPD, he has worked in the Uniform Patrol Division and the Narcotics/Vice Division. In 1985, he was promoted to Sergeant/Detective and was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division and remained in that division until his retirement in February 2007.

His last assignment in CID was with the White Collar Crime Unit where he specialized in cybercrime investigations and computer forensics.

Check out the interview here:

Detective Duque is still considered and recognized as one of Hawaii’s leading computer and Internet crimes investigator. He has conducted investigations in a wide assortment of criminal offenses. These include the trafficking of child pornography, identity theft, various forms of Internet fraud, hacking and network intrusion cases, harassing and threatening cases, and child exploitation cases.

In 2002 Detective Duque was recognized as Detective of the Year and was also nominated as Employee of the Year for the City and County of Honolulu. During the same year he was also awarded the title of “Top Cop” from various state and local organizations.

Chris Duque is currently working in the private sector as a consultant and continues to provide community services in the form of presentations…

This is a very good article…

Teens and College students should know: sending sexually suggestive texts and messages – known as “sexting” – isn’t just inappropriate, it can be illegal.

Sexting can consist of explicit words, photos, or video being sent to another person, even if that person is your boyfriend or girlfriend.

While sexting has made headlines because of the growing number of teenagers participating, these sexually explicit messages are sent by adults, too.

About 33 percent of young adults age 20 to 26 admit to sending or posting nude or semi-nude photos of themselves, according to a nationwide survey done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com. Nearly 60 percent of young adults said they’ve sent or posted sexually suggestive messages.

The Darkside of the Internet blog written by Chris Duque, computer forensics specialist and CyberSecurity consultant and retired detective for the Honolulu Police Department, helps to define the laws of child pornography in Hawai’i.

Check out what OSA Investigates had to say about this growing problem:

Your CyberHood Watch Partner

Bill Wardell

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Monday Maddness 3.15.2010 and yes that is spelled correctly

Your CyberHood Watch Partner

Bill Wardell

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(part 1 of 3)

Can you imagine someone stalking you, and making your life miserable, and yet you feel so helpless because you have no idea who the person is? And there’s no way to figure out the identity, location or any other information on this real person who won’t leave you alone? Someone could be cyberstalking you.

Anonymity is a very easy feat to accomplish on the internet. All it takes is fake identities and untraceable sources. Unfortunately stalkers and abusers of all types have thrived on this to commit their crimes.

The challenge for victims and law enforcement officials is a simple one: they can’t figure out who is doing the cyberstalking or where it’s coming from. However, there are ways to protect yourself, your friends, and your loved ones from such terrifying circumstances.

As well, the anonymity makes prosecution much more difficult. The fact that cyberstalking doesn’t involve physical contact doesn’t mean it is any less dangerous than “real life” stalking.

How Do Cyberstalkers Find You?

Bear this in mind: an experienced Internet user can easily find enough of your personal information, such as your phone number or place of business, to establish some sort of “anonymous communication” with you. Cyberstalkers find their victims through chat rooms, message boards, and discussion forums, to name a few. Once they get some information on you, they can easily research out more information about you online, like through Google or other search engines, phone directories, business directories, and such. Even if you have an unlisted phone number, that is not beyond the reach of a skilled online researcher.

Ready, Aim, Threat

Once they’ve created a file on you (ready), they then aim the cross-hairs of their cyberstalking “gun” on you and fire….
Cyberstalking takes many forms such as: threatening or obscene e-mail; spamming (junk e-mail); live chat harassment or flaming (online verbal abuse); leaving improper messages on message boards or in guest books; sending viruses; sending unsolicited e-mail; tracing another person’s computer and Internet activity, and electronic id theft. Just because someone is a cyber stalker does not mean that this fascination won’t lead to a real world physical confrontation either.

For children, online stalking can be a particularly terrifying experience. Being that children have a fragility and an innocence that comes with their youth, they are at a very high risk of psychological trauma, and possible physical harm. Many cyberstalking situations evolve into off-line stalking which includes such actions as: abusive and excessive phone calls, vandalism, threatening or obscene mail, trespassing, and physical assault. The reality is that any type of stalking can lead to a physical attack if the situation is not properly dealt with as soon as possible.

Protecting our children and the children we may be involved with on a regular basis is of great importance. CHW Solutions!

In Part 2 of 3:
Potential Effects of Children who are Cyberstalking Victims
Child Protection From Cyberstalking
Tips To Protect Children In School And Sport Activities

Your CHW Partner

Bill Wardell

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Hi, All:

Big Brother has unfortunately been very busy this week. Here are some of the jaw-dropping news stories I covered on my radio show and have discussed on other programs across the country.

In freedom, K.A.

p.s. You can find my radio archives here:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=20&Itemid=129

The CDC used shopper card data to track down food-borne illness I cut my teeth as an activist on shopper card privacy back in 1999, and I did my Harvard dissertation on the topic. So it’s no surprise the AP quoted me in this news story featured today on Drudge. This development bodes ill for the future of private food shopping.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/ap_on_sc/us_shopper_card_sleuths

The biometric worker ID card – Just two steps from a chip in your hand First a national ID card. Then RFID spychipped national IDs, like they now have in China. After that? The chip gets implanted in YOU.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/10/immigration-reform-effort-emerges-new-senate/

“Cancer-chips” claim two more doggie victims Our AntiChips organization (www.Antichips.com ) is about to issue a press release revealing about two MORE verified cases of cancer in dogs that appeared around implanted microchips. One dog sadly died last month, the other is undergoing intensive chemotherapy.

Mandatory chip implants for all dogs in England The British government wants all dogs in the UK numbered and implanted  – or their owners will be punished.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/09/dangerous-dogs-microchips-insurance/

Our bestselling documentary “Shadow Government” is now even easier to get! Now available for phone orders at 1-800-End-Time, or signed copies available here:

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3362&Itemid=94

(They are signed by me, since I was the film’s Supervising Producer)

Deadline to comment on Electronic Health Records is Monday The rule-making comment period for this particular phase is set to expire on March 15, 2010 @ 17:00 ET.   Here is the link to submit public comments:

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a7c4a8

This news update is brought to you by STARTPAGE, the world’s most private search engine www.Startpage.com Unlike Google, Yahoo, and Bing, Startpage does not store your IP address or make a record of your searches. “Privacy is our business. Your searches aren’t. Start protecting your privacy with Startpage.” www.Startpage.com

Flashback: Google Dossiers on US Citizens Make KGB Files Look Like Kindergarten The Solution? Stop using Google, Yahoo, and Bing, and switch to Startpage.com, the private search engine alternative.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.printable&pageId=123391

ABOUT CASPIAN

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/

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