AVG's CEO and Chief Policy Officer Author New Book Wide Open Privacy: Strategies for the Digital Life
AMSTERDAM and SAN FRANCISCO, November 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Groundbreaking book shows consumers how to play offense with their online identity,
reputation, and personal brand
AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG), the provider of Internet and mobile security to 143
million active users, announces that its CEO JR Smith and Chief Policy Officer Siobhan
MacDermott have authored the book Wide Open Privacy: Strategies for the Digital Life
[http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Open-Privacy-Strategies-Digital/dp/0985460733 ] - published by
IT- Harvest Press 2012. The book, which reveals how consumers can take proactive control
of their online identity, reputation and personal brand, is available starting today
online at Amazon [http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Open-Privacy-Strategies-Digital/dp/0985460733
] and in bookstores across the country.
"Digital privacy has become one of the defining issues of our age," said Smith. "Given
today's cluttered, volatile and wiki-speed information environment, we all face daunting
challenges in managing our everyday lives online. AVG has a history of disrupting the
status quo in the interest of protecting consumers; we had the first freemium security
products and the industry's first active Do-Not-Track feature
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg2I2i4M-rA ]. Reflecting a significant evolution in
today's critical questions of privacy and security, Wide Open Privacy moves consumers from
mere protection to positive personal strategies to enrich the online experience across all
the connected devices of our world."
Neither "idiot's guide" nor academic treatise, Wide Open Privacy responds to urgent
consumer demand for better and easier tools to understand and navigate the powerful but
potentially treacherous seas of e-commerce, online banking, social media, and cloud
content sharing.
"None of us can afford to put our online fate in the hands of government or big
business. Neither can guard our most valuable personal information," said MacDermott. "We
need to take control of our digital destinies. Wide Open Privacy offers clear strategies
and tech-savvy tactics for consumers to achieve the necessary control and to live safer,
more productive lives online. These days, individuals need the knowledge that helps them
manage their identity and reputation in the digital world. Policy makers and corporations
need to empower consumers with policies that acknowledge their right to make their own
decisions when it comes to their online reputations, privacy and peace of mind. Until
governments and companies deliver that acknowledgment, Internet users need to play
offense-hard. Our book helps them step up."
"Privacy is a shared responsibility. There is a role for laws and regulations; there
is a role for self-regulation; and there is a role for consumers to exercise control. As
the public policy debate continues about how best to protect personal data, Wide Open
Privacy shows how consumers can exercise control of their digital identities effectively,"
said Christopher Wolf, Founder and Co-Chair, Future of Privacy Forum and Global Director,
Hogan Lovells Privacy and Information Management Practice. "Smith and MacDermott have
provided an extremely important contribution to the privacy framework discussion. This is
essential reading for tech-using consumers."
"Wide Open Privacy shows how Internet users can take back control of their digital
identities," said Justin Brookman, Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology
Project on Consumer Privacy. "Smith and MacDermott offer a compelling, and sober, analysis
of the many threats to privacy in the modern age, but they don't view privacy as a lost
cause. Instead, with a mix of policy analysis and useful tips, they advocate for a
user-centric approach to personal data, equally relevant to consumers and business."
AVG's mission is to simplify, optimize and secure the Internet experience, providing
peace of mind to a connected world. AVG's powerful yet easy-to-use software and online
services put users in control of their Internet experience. By choosing AVG's software and
services, users become part of a trusted global community that benefits from inherent
network effects, mutual protection and support. AVG has grown its user base to 143 million
active users as of September 30, 2012 and offers a product portfolio that targets the
consumer and small business markets and includes Internet security, PC performance
optimization, online backup, mobile security, identity protection and family safety
software. http://www.avg.com
CONTACT: Contacts: United Kingdom: Lennard van Otterloo, MSLGROUP for AVG, Lennard.vanotterloo@mslgroup.com, +44(0)20-7878-3210; United States: Ty Sheppard, Finn Partners for AVG, ty@finnpartners.com, +1-415-249-6775; Investor Relations: Anne Marie McCauley, AVG Technologies, AnneMarie.McCauley@avg.com