Buying a new phone or device? Beware of bloatware!

• Bloatware can significantly slow down your computer.

According to a digital privacy expert, beware while buying even new phones and PCs, as they can come with pre-installed bloatware that reduces performance and violates your privacy.

Bloatware means Potentially Unwanted Programs - PUP and can reach customers mainly in two ways: First, if pre-installed by vendors, manufacturers or carriers to cut costs and get additional revenue from software developers; And second bloatware is downloaded from the web.

According to NordVPN's digital privacy expert, Daniel Markuson, "Bloatware is software you don't want that burdens and slows down your device. These are programs that are preinstalled on new devices, come bundled with other downloads, or are injected into your system through malicious sites."
"Bloatware can hide in software bundles and are more dangerous as it often contains adware or malware," according to reports quoted in TechAeris.

Firstly, bloatware can significantly slow down your computer. If you have lots of these programs loading in your device start-up or performing operations in the background, they can eat up your RAM," said Markuson. Fortunately, bloatware programs could be removed either by regular uninstall or bloatware removers.