Cybersecurity firm Avast has agreed to buy Canada’s SecureKey Technologies, a provider of digital identity and authentication solutions, for an undisclosed sum.
The company said on Thursday that SecureKey’s next generation privacy-enhancing services are focused on simplifying access to online services while giving control back to consumers by ensuring the information they share with others is only ever with their explicit consent.
Avast chief executive Ondrej Vlcek said: “We envisage a global and reusable digital identity framework which will underpin a new trust layer for the internet.
“It’s clear that digital identity is the critical enabler for many digital services and SecureKey’s success reflects the growing demand for this from consumers. SecureKey is highly complementary to Avast’s prior work in Identity and together we will take our offer to the next level, accelerating innovation and working to establish a user-focused, global approach that aligns user, business, and government propositions. We are committed to developing offerings that will be fully inclusive for everyone, regardless of their own circumstances.”
Services developed by SecureKey include those currently known as Verified.Me, a first-of-its-kind, distributed digital identity verification network, and Government Sign-In by Verified.Me for convenient login to hundreds of government online services and applications.
The deal is expected to close early next month.
