Tag Archives: Privax

AVG

Help protect your family with AVG’s new VPN from Privax

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As a father of three, I understand the difficulty of raising children in an increasingly online world. This first-hand experience made it even more pleasing to stand in the offices of AVG’s newest acquisition, a privacy and protection technology company called Privax, and to welcome all their employees officially to AVG.

Privax is behind a fantastic service called HMA! Pro which is a virtual private network (VPN) product that allows consumers to connect their mobile and desktop devices to the Internet securely and privately. It’s a great tool to ensure that personal data remains just that – personal data. VPNs give people more control over what information about themselves they are comfortable sharing and what they would prefer to keep to themselves when communicating, purchasing or searching online.

AVG understands that you are concerned about your privacy and this acquisition is part of our continued commitment to offering the best protection and privacy products available. It’s our goal to give you peace of mind when you go online on your mobile as well as your desktop devices. You’ve told us that you value choice when managing your own privacy settings, and for those with families, this is even more important as you look to protect your children online.

Research we carried out earlier this year with the Mobile Ecosystem Forum showed that 49% of people surveyed in 10 countries said trust prevented them from downloading or buying online, or using some or all apps from their mobile device. We also found that 72% were not happy sharing personal data with apps – compared with 65% last year.

Therefore, at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, our CEO, Gary Kovacs, made a public commitment to provide smart tools to help our customers reassert their privacy. This acquisition takes us one step further towards fulfilling this promise.

Video

Gary Kovacs Keynote at MWC 2015

 

Customers can already use our existing privacy services including AVG PrivacyFix and the Do Not Track feature of our secure search. Privax’s HMA! Pro will give you another option by helping you enjoy your favorite online activities in a safe and private environment that you can tailor to your personal sharing preferences and without compromising your privacy.

AVG

AVG Technologies ring the opening bell at NYSE

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Following investor briefings this week in New York and the recent acquisition announcement of UK based Privax Ltd., makers of the popular ‘HMA! Pro VPN’, it has been a busy time at AVG.

This is the second time that the AVG executive team has had the privilege of ringing the opening bell, doing so in 2012 when it first listed on the exchange. Now with 200 million active users, and over half of them on mobile devices, AVG is once again celebrating.

The NYSE was founded in 1817 and the original signal to open and close the market was a gavel, but during the late 1800’s this changed to a gong.  And then in 1903 the gong was switched to the bell format seen today.

Famous NYSE bell ringers have included Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and even fictional characters such as Micky Mouse and Darth Vader.

Standing on the NYSE podium and pushing the button that signals the bells to ring is seen by many as a great honor and a lifetime achievement.  We couldn’t be more proud of our executive team at AVG for their hard work and tireless dedication for this well deserved recognition.

AVG

AVG Acquires Privax, a Global Leader in Personal Privacy Solutions

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AMSTERDAM – May 6, 2015 – AVG® Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million monthly active users, today announced the acquisition of Privax, a leading global provider of desktop and mobile privacy services for consumers. With the acquisition, AVG will add Privax’s HMA! Pro VPN to its existing portfolio of security software and services that will be immediately made available to AVG’s global customer base.

Privax has more than 250,000 paying subscribers worldwide using its VPN encryption service, while its popular free web-based browser proxy service regularly attracts a global audience of over eight million unique visitors per month. The acquisition of Privax further strengthens AVG’s expanding mobile security offerings by providing a proven, privacy subscription service that is available immediately and will also be integrated into future AVG products including AVG Zen.

“Privacy is the new currency of the digital era, particularly as the Internet population is expected to double over the next five years,” said Gary Kovacs, Chief Executive Officer, AVG Technologies. “As we connect through more and more devices, our privacy is becoming increasingly violated. At AVG, we fundamentally believe that it is a user’s choice of how and when to share their private information. With this acquisition, we will immediately be able to provide new and innovative privacy and security services to hundreds of millions of users world-wide.”

Privax leading solutions will continue to be made available directly from Privax and additionally with our proven track record we will distribute through AVG’s consumer and SMB channels.

“Our mission at HMA! has always been to be the go-to tool for anyone who wants to surf the web freely, privately and securely. I’m incredibly proud that our service has done just that, and has been used by tens of millions of people all over the world,” said Jack Cator, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Privax. “We are thrilled to be teaming up with AVG Technologies to help us accelerate our ambition to be the biggest and best privacy company in the world.”

Under the terms of the agreement, AVG paid $40 million and will pay up to an additional $20 million in cash consideration one year after closing based on the achievement of certain performance metrics and milestones. AVG will present additional financial details at the upcoming Analyst day at the NYSE on May 12th.