Adding McAfee is intrusive. BAD business practice!

[Light_In]

You got me!

I missed that little check box on the flash player update.

I find this kind of practice to be very unethical.

[chris.campbell]

Thank you for the feedback, and I'm sorry you had something installed that you wanted to opt out of.  I'll pass your comments along to the team. 

For major releases, like 11.4, we do give users the opportunity to read about new features and then visit our download page if they'd like to install immediately.  As you noted, this workflow allows users to optionally download software from Adobe partners along with Flash Player.  These offers are used to help Adobe offset development costs for Flash Player, which is made available for free.

Thanks,

Chris

[AnotherAGladys]

The download & install is not optional: it is enabled by default. An option is something one elects to take if it is wanted.

the thing that is Optional is avoiding the download & installation of irrelevant and unnecessary software (that is so poor it can't be properly distributed on its own merit).

[Fritzismom]

I am with 67Tommy Guns, it's a bad and unethical practice. This practice of adding an optional and unrelated software (McAfee or Norton) to the Flash and other player packages is a huge step back for a company that produces the caliber of software that Adobe does. To offset costs? Really?

If you (the team) insist in continuing with this practice why not leave that check box empty? It lets the few who might actually want this software OPT IN, rather forcing the majority of your customers to OPT OUT. It goes directly to usability.

In addition, you (the team) obviously have not given much thought to the probability that the majority of users may already have an anti virus software installed and now have to grapple with conflicts. How are they supposed to offset the cost for their time?

[CragOrion]

Optional implies we ever had the option NOT to install the added software, and I never saw anything asking permission to install McAfee. That means it either wasn't there, or you went out of your way to HIDE the option, which is dishonest and WRONG!

I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO POINT THIS OUT TO YOU!

McAfee is a horrible program and causes problems on your computer! I do not want it on my system! And I think you owe us more than an obligatory "we'll take your comment into consideration."

[PubliXtatic]

The pre-checked box scam is shady and immoral but it is used by almost everybody nowadays and everyone who has any kind of computer experience knows to watch out for it when downloading any software.  Not looking for the scam-box is equivelant to clicking on a flashing banner that tells you that you can win a free iPad by shooting a moving watermelon.  I know that one requires action and the other requires inaction, but it's not that different because they are both well known tricks that are easily avoided.  Sure, installing a second and inferior antivirus program can cause minimal security issues, but anyone unwise enough to fall for that scam is  the same type of person who spends all day clicking on the stuff on the right side of Facebook and giving out their bank info to hot young single Asian girls who email them, so they'll probably have well-deserved security issues anyway.  I would rather use the two brain cells and .5 seconds required to uncheck a box than have to pay for Flash Player or switch to an inferior product made by different people who would probably also sell their souls to manipultive McAfee and try to shove that trash down our throats the same way.  Yes, McAfee is the devil and nobody in the history of the world has ever installed it unless some form of trickery was involved and yes, the box thing is deceptive, but I use Flash Player because it works and it's free, not because Adobe only makes money in ethical ways.  Just uncheck the damn box, people.