Avast Blog_News: Avast commits to protecting digital freedom for everyone

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Here's how we're shaping the digital landscape to be a fairer, freer, more equitable place for all

I was just 13 years old in 1991 when the Soviet Union pulled its last troops out of what was then Czechoslovakia, my home country. I was spared living through the worst abuses of the Communist era, which choked off the Czech people’s free expression, entrepreneurialism, and ability to explore the wider world. I feel extremely lucky to have come of age in Prague at a time when democracy and capitalism were flourishing.

As a young computer programmer in the ‘90s, I was captivated by the potential of information technologies to reshape the world for the better. The arrival of the internet, with its vision of a free, open, and democratic digital world without borders, gave me hope that open and immediate access to information, commerce, and people worldwide could underpin the spread of democracy and social freedoms globally. 

The last three decades have seen technology develop on a truly revolutionary scale. Today, 4.8 billion people are online — that’s almost 61% of the world’s population — and it’s estimated that there are 700,000 new users coming online each day. This inspires me every day to push on innovation, to figure out how we can bring positive change to the digital world, and crucially, to be vigilant about protecting personal privacy and civil liberties. 

These days, nothing can be taken for granted as the world is undergoing huge, unprecedented change in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, igniting social, economic, and technological shifts. And, a huge part of that change is happening online: the battle for digital freedom, which could play an incredibly important role in defining the future of our global politics and economics. 

At Avast, we've been working for over 30 years to keep people safe. It used to be about protecting machines; today, it's about protecting people. And people are growing increasingly worried and feeling more vulnerable — because the cyber problem has become so much larger, and so much more complicated. 

Over the last year, we talked extensively with our customers and with internet citizens at large to understand their hopes, fears, and needs. 

The more our team at Avast talked to people, the more we heard that the internet was vital to helping them achieve their personal potential, but also that they felt exposed when they went online more than ever before. Six in 10 people said the internet had grown more important to their lives during the pandemic, but just one in five said they felt more confident online than before. Two-thirds told us that concerns over privacy stopped them from doing something online.

Avast is stepping up to tackle this challenge. Today, we are announcing our rigorous commitment to pursuing an expanded, deeper purpose — that of protecting the digital freedoms of all online citizens. You will notice that our brand has a fresh new look and feel to align with our wider mission and to engage with more people on these important digital issues of our time in a relatable, human way. Online security and privacy are complex topics, and it’s an important part of our role as a digital protection provider to ensure people get the information as well as the tools they need to feel comfortable and confident. 

Challenging the status quo

Although time has slightly tempered my youthful (and somewhat utopian) vision for the digital age, my enthusiasm for the boundless possibilities it enables hasn’t faded. But it’s clear that while the internet has enabled incredible opportunities, it has also served as a tool to restrict and limit. 

There are nation states that use the internet to curtail free speech. There are even governments that misuse and abuse the incredible power of big data, machine learning, and AI to oppress their own citizens. Hackers and cybercriminals mastermind increasingly sophisticated attacks that imperil everything from hospitals and oil pipelines to food companies globally. What’s more, too many tech firms and advertisers demonstrate a disregard for our privacy when they track people’s personal data and spending habits to make it easier to market their products and services. In our research, we learned how people really appreciated the internet as a backbone that connected them throughout the pandemic, but that they also felt increasingly watched and vulnerable. They told us they wanted to reset their relationship with the internet, but they were more confused than ever on how to do that, and who they could trust. 

Unless we’re all committed to a digital world that respects our right to privacy, the digital world has the potential to curtail our freedoms rather than enable them.

Similarly, we have fallen down on promises to level the global playing field. Access to the internet is contributing to widening economic disparity, not lessening it.

This digital divide has become particularly acute since the pandemic hit. People who can’t access secure, high-speed internet run the risk of being unable to work, study, manage finances, or even receive quality healthcare. Access to safe internet usage is increasingly becoming a critical right for all.

It’s clear that we need to address these issues and halt this increasing inequity. We need to intervene now and reset our technology trajectory for a better, fairer digital future. 
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