Czech cybersecurity firm Avast acquires SSI innovator Evernym

Avast, a global provider
of digital security and privacy solutions headquartered in the Czech Republic,
has acquired U.S.-based Evernym, a leader in the development of self-sovereign
and decentralized identity technology.

Terms of the acquisition
have not been disclosed.

Founded in 2013, Everynym
powers IATA’s Travel Pass and has founded or co-founded the Decentralized
Identity Foundation, the Good Health Pass Collaborative, the Sovrin Foundation
and other efforts.

In a blog post
announcing the partnership, Evernym says: “We’ll be joining Avast’s growing
digital identity division under the leadership of Charlie Walton, who himself
joined in June with a mandate to lead the company’s identity business. Charlie
is a leading voice in decentralized identity and an innovative veteran in the
field. From our first conversations, it was clear that Avast’s values are
closely aligned with those of Evernym. They exist to protect digital freedom
for everyone and already have a very strong reputation for protecting
individuals, which at the end of the day is what SSI is all about.”

Using decentralized,
digital identity, individuals retain control of their data and choose what
to share in any transaction, creating greater privacy and better opportunities
for personalization while keeping personal information out of centralized
databases that can be compromised.

“Consumer trust in the
online world has been critically compromised. Over 60% of the world’s
population has internet access today yet we don’t have adequate provisions in
place for these people to prove who they are online. The result is that
identity theft, online fraud and account takeovers are growing rapidly, as does
digital tracking and surveillance,” says Ondrej Vlcek, CEO of Avast.

“Our vision for digital
freedom is to enable people to manage and retain control over their personal
data so that they can interact and transact safely, privately and with
confidence. Adding Evernym’s groundbreaking, self-sovereign identity technology
to our offering enables us to address this area and is a huge step forward in
the realization of our decentralized, portable model.”

Says Evernym CEO
Steve Havas, “Combining our decentralized identity leadership with Avast's
globally trusted reputation for protecting individuals is a perfect combination
to help bring back privacy and trust in everyone's digital interactions
everywhere, every time.”

The acquisition is
expected to close this month, and Avast says products based on Evernym
technology will follow in 2022.

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