![sophos free mac antivirus sophos free mac antivirus](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/01Hv8eQpn6owgW4jB3U5WZ7-34..v1638223268.png)
Running a verification process that starts with only a name is a terribly inefficient way to run a verification process. Not so, claims Ali, who points out his name is extremely common, as would be any number of other “foreign-sounding” names. Sophos claims that less than 0.05% of potential users are subjected to these compliance checks, so it’s really kind of a non-issue. Our policy, in accordance with the US Export Regulations and other similar EU and UK regulations, is to ask for additional information to check if it is a true match or if it is, as in almost all cases, a ‘false positive’ match.Īt that point we can clear the requester to be able to access the software. Because this particular request only included the requester’s name, which matched with a number of names and aliases on the denied persons list, it was flagged as something we needed to check. Like many companies, we used a third party to check all requests.
SOPHOS FREE MAC ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
Like many companies operating on a global scale, Sophos is required to adhere to the export laws and regulations of the United States, European Union, and every country in which it conducts business.Īs such, we screen all requests for software downloads in accordance with a number of export lists, such as the US Export Administration Regulations, which affects all companies trading in the US and includes the requirement to ensure that the requester is not included on any US government denied persons list. We are sorry Mr Ali has had difficulty downloading our free Mac Antivirus software. Sophos has confirmed that it does, indeed, block certain users from downloading its software. According to the text displayed, Sophos “must” conduct further “compliance checks” (which include asking Ali for additional personal information) before allowing him to download the software. John Leyden at The Register is reporting that one of the site’s readers has been denied permission to download Sophos’ free antivirus software, apparently because the name “Hasan Ali” is setting off “terrorist” alarms at the software maker’s headquarters.Īli brought the issue to our attention, complaining that Sophos had applied an “anti-Muslim name filter” that places hurdles in the way of his attempts to download the security software firm’s freebie Mac malware detection tool.Ī screenshot of the attempted download shows Sophos asking Ali to jump through a bunch of additional hoops to gain access to the free AV software.
![sophos free mac antivirus sophos free mac antivirus](http://skyeymoves781.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/6/5/126596953/515926749.jpg)
The US hasn’t officially adopted its proposed rewrite of the Wassenaar Arrangement, but it looks as though its plan to regulate certain software like guns and bombs is already pushing some businesses to start treating potential users like enemies of national security.