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Malwarebytes

Some concerns
Malwarebytes · 🇺🇸 United States
PolicyApp PermissionsNetwork TrafficFirmwareRegulatory
Technical details
App: org.malwarebytes.antimalware
Manufacturer: Malwarebytes Inc

The bottom line

US-based and collects some data, but never caught selling it, injecting ads, mining crypto, or cooperating with intelligence. By antivirus standards, impressive. Great at removing existing malware but not as good at stopping new threats. The free version doesn't protect in real-time at all.

Legal jurisdiction
🇺🇸 United States (headquarters)
⚠CLOUD Act read more →
US govt can demand your data from this company even if stored overseas
⚠FISA §702 / PRISM read more →
NSA collects stored emails, photos, messages without individual warrants
●Geofence warrants read more →
Police can demand location data for everyone near a crime scene
Spying
1/4 LOW
Is someone spying on me?
Data Sharing
1/4 LOW
Who gets my data?
Security
2/4 MODERATE
Is it actually secure?
Honesty
0/4 N/A
Can I trust what they say?
ACCEPTABLE Moderate concerns. Standard privacy hygiene applies.
3Contradictions
0Critical
0High
2Medium
2Sources
Findings by concern
Spying 1/4 LOW 1 finding
⚫ mediumpolicy claims vs regulatory findings
US-based and collects some data, but never caught selling it, injecting ads, mining crypto, or cooperating with intelligence. By antivirus standards, impressive.

What they claim: Malwarebytes protects user privacy.

What we found: US jurisdiction (Five Eyes). Collects IP, machine identifiers, geolocation, usage data. Not open source. But: no data selling history, no government scandals, CNET 'Best Privacy AV' 2025.

Security 2/4 MODERATE 2 findings
⚫ mediumfirmware analysis vs policy claims
Great at removing existing malware but not as good at stopping new threats. The free version doesn't protect in real-time at all.

What they claim: Malwarebytes provides comprehensive security protection.

What we found: Lower real-time detection than Norton, Bitdefender, Kaspersky in AV-TEST/AV-Comparatives. Excels at remediation not prevention. Free version scan-only.

✔️ lowpolicy claims vs firmware analysis
Not perfect -- closed source, collects some device data. But the only major antivirus that seems to genuinely care about privacy rather than monetizing it.

What they claim: Malwarebytes is privacy-first.

What we found: Not open source. Collects machine identifiers and geolocation. But no trackers documented, Browser Guard blocks tracking, new Windows privacy controls help limit OS telemetry.

Sources