If you own a Windows laptop, Robert O’Callahan, a former Firefox developer believes that you should uninstall your antivirus software immediately.

ccording to him:

AV products poison the software ecosystem because their invasive and poorly-implemented code makes it difficult for browser vendors and other developers to improve their own security.

What’s really insidious is that it’s hard for software vendors to speak out about these problems because they need cooperation from the AV vendors (except for Google, lately, maybe). Users have been fooled into associating AV vendors with security.

In other words, the disadvantages of using an Antivirus software outweighs the advantages.

This got me thinking about my University days, where Windows laptop was the main deal and viruses were as popular as Chelsea bread (Only Covenant University students can understand ‘Chelsea bread’). Would my laptop have survived without an antivirus?

However, that was the Windows 7 days, now, Windows 10’s built-in Windows Defender does a pretty good job at keeping you safe, provided you are cautious with your online activities e.g. Avoid downloading torrents, surfing porn sites, or clicking untrusted links.

Other than that, I would recommend adding a layer of defense that does not clash with the use of Windows Defender (For example, Malwarebytes). By having a 2nd layer of defense, threats not detected by Windows Defender may be detected by the 2nd layer.

Lastly, your PC needs to be up-to-date. So those with Windows 7 or God forbid, Windows XP PCs should stick to their Antivirus software until they upgrade.