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CCleaner update removed Privacy options, made exiting the app difficult

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 Aug 2018 8:04 User comments (2)

CCleaner update removed Privacy options, made exiting the app difficult A recent update to the mega-popular CCleaner tool prompted backlash from long-term users as privacy options disappeared and other problems arose.
Recently acquired by Avast, CCleaner was updated to v5.45.6611 with some noticeable changes. In the free version of the app, Privacy settings were removed from the options meaning users could no longer opt-out of sending usage information. Another noted issue is that it seems impossible to close the application through normal means.

When you click the X in the top right hand corner of the app, CCleaner minimizes to the system tray on the taskbar, which is not unusual behavior. What is unusual is that right-clicking on the CCleaner icon in the system tray no longer provided the option to exit CCleaner.

This could be because of a shift in the way the developers want CCleaner to be used. In the new version, it seems much more difficult to disable Active Monitoring. Many CCleaner users may only use it to clear out browser history and temporary files every now and then. Active Monitoring will keep an eye on the accumulation of junk and other data and prompt users to run the cleaner routinely.



In order to disable it in the latest version, users apparently need to toggle off "Enable system monitoring," and then turn off Active Monitoring later. The problem users are having is that it toggles itself back on after restarting the app or rebooting.

The developer has listened and posted a long response on the Piriform support forum, promising to address some of these issues:

In CCleaner v5.45 we extended existing analytics functionality in the software in order to gain greater insight into how our users interact with the software.

This data is completely anonymous, and through collecting it we can rapidly detect bugs, identify pain points in the UI design and also understand which areas of functionality we should be focusing our time on. Most modern software companies collect anonymous usage data as it is very helpful when prioritising bug fixes and future improvements in the product experience. For example, we can see that many of our users have upgraded to the Professional edition but have never switched on the 'scheduled cleaning', which is one of the main benefits of the paid product. From this we know we need to work harder to make this paid-for feature more obvious in the CCleaner UI.

Since the release, you have shared your feedback and we have been listening. Some of you are concerned that CCleaner might be accessing and sharing your personal data. To be clear, CCleaner does not collect any personal data. Some of you told us that you do not want to share even anonymous usage data. After listening to your feedback we realize we need to provide you with a better level of control for anonymous data collection.

When it came to adding the new analytics, the simplest way to do so was to extend the 'Active Monitoring' feature. Active Monitoring has been in CCleaner for a number of years and is essentially just some intelligent triggers for alerting you to clean out junk data when a lot of it has accumulated, and also for keeping you updated with the latest (and safest) cleaning definitions. Scary name aside, these contextual cleaning alerts help to remind people that cleaning is more of a maintenance task than a one-shot solution. Over time junk files will continue to be generated and more tracking files added and these alerts help our users to stay on top of that.



Back to v5.45, and to what we have learned: combining the new analytics with the Active Monitoring feature was quick to implement, but it doesn't offer a lot of flexibility in terms of controlling these distinct items separately. Lesson learned: simplest isn't always best.

You spoke, we listened. Here's what we're doing:
  • We will separate out Active Monitoring (junk cleaning alerts and browser cleaning alerts) and heartbeat (anonymous usage analytics) features in the UI and we will give you the ability to control these individually. You will have the options of enabling all, some or none of these functions, and this functionality will be uniquely controlled from the UI.
  • We will take this opportunity to rename the Advanced Monitoring features in CCleaner to make their functions clearer.
  • We will deliver these changes to the software in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, you can get any version of CCleaner (going back years) from our download page here on AfterDawn. Alternatively, you can try something like KCleaner, or any number of System Cleanup tools.

More Info: forum.piriform.com

via: Betanews

Tags: CCleaner
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2 user comments

12.8.2018 15:58

Use an older version & also install CCEnhancer to add more cleaning options

228.8.2018 10:29

There are many other free cleaners available that will do as good, if not a better job of what CCleaner is capable of. I am using CCleaner portable, (although it breaks CCleaner Enhancer's functionality in tandem) for a while longer. BTW, Avast creates new Windows registry entries with its name and coded #s which do not get removed after uninstalling CCleaner. Avast "was" a decent spyware remover during Win XP's heydays, but like so many free software programs, such as Partition Magic, the lure of crippling or eliminating their free versions in favor of trial/shareware/adware/paid subscriptions, was too profitable to resist.

Why am I seeing more warnings about cookies from so many websites nowadays (as well as adblockers)? I intend to continue blocking 3rd party cookies, scripts, and ads...and am wiping my history and cache each and every single time that I close my browser or close a tab!! So YOU will go away!!

Bleachbit, ZSoft uninstaller (both available as .pafs in Portable Apps),as well as System Ninja, and Revo Uninstaller are available in installer and portable versions, the latter which does a far better job of uninstalling software programs from Windows than CCleaner, since it also can remove all registry entries and every trace of the software. Backing up the Windows Registry prior to installing any new software can make it much easier to completely eliminate it from a Windows OS, after uninstalling the software later, then restoring the backed-up registry. System Restore is a very poor repair option, b/c it cannot fully restore the Registry. Using CCleaner to uninstall software is really no better than using Windows uninstaller, as both merely use the softwares' own built-in uninstaller, that most often will not remove all of their Registry entries. It is like pulling up weeds, but leaving their roots intact...which permits growing the weeds back up.

Firefox can clean itself of history and cache, just by changing its settings in the Options or Preferences dialog boxes from the Tools or edit menus.Or just enable Private browsing and nothing will be saved.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Aug 2018 @ 11:15

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