About
John McAfee is an American computer programmer known for developing the McAfee anti-virus software. In 2012 and 2013, McAfee returned to the United States after several disputes with law enforcement in Belize and Guatemala. In September 2015, he announced he would be running for President of the United States as part of his newly formed Cyber Party.
History
From 1968 to 1970, McAfee was a computer programmer at NASA’s Institute for Space Studies in New York City. In the 1980s, he was hired by the Lockheed Corporation, where he began working on software to combat computer viruses. In 1987, he founded the anti-virus company McAfee Associates from which he resigned seven years later. In February 2010, McAfee formed the company QuorumEx to produce natural antibiotics using bacterial quorum sensing technology.
Legal Trouble
In April 2012, the Belize Police Department raided McAfee’s property for unlicensed drug manufacturing and possession of an unlicensed weapon. He was subsequently released without charge. In November that year, McAfee fled Belize after police named him a “person of interest” in the murder of American expatriate Gregory Viant Faull. In December, Vice inadvertently leaked McAfee’s location at a Guatemalan resort by posting a photograph with the EXIF geolocation data intact. That month, McAfee was detained in Guatemala and deported to the United States.
Online Presence
In June 2013, McAfee released a video titled “How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus,” in which he presents instructions for removing McAfee software while snorting drugs and being caressed by a group of women (shown below).
On March 10th, 2014, McAfee uploaded a video titled “John McAfee the Real Most Interesting Man in the World,” which parodies the “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials for Dos Equis beer (shown below).
Social Media Presence
In November 2012, McAfee launched the @officialmcafee[1] Twitter feed and a Facebook[2] page, which gathered upwards of 27,500 followers and 9,700 likes over the next three years.
Presidential Run Announcement
On September 8th, 2015, McAfee announced his candidacy in the 2016 United States presidential election. That day, the campaign website McAfee16.com[3] was launched, featuring information regarding voting, donations, volunteering and press inquiries.
On September 9th, CNN[4] reported that McAfee planned to run under his newly created “Cyber Party,” and would be focusing on addressing issues related to government spying and technological freedom.
“We are losing privacy at an alarming rate -- we have none left. We’ve given up so much for the illusion of security and our government is simply dysfunctional.”
Personal Life
John McAfee was born on September 18th, 1945 at a United States Army base in the United Kingdom. In 1967, he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Roanoke College, where he went on to gain a Doctor of Science degree in 2008. McAfee teaches and has written several books about yoga. As of September 2015, McAfee lives in Lexington, Tennessee with his wife Janice Dyson.