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Looking back at 2023, "Powering Digital Freedom" resonates as more than just an idea — it's been our driving motivation for all the work we did and continue to do. Our goal has always been to develop technology solutions that enable people to explore the digital world safely, securely and confidently. This last year, we've set new standards for protecting consumers and innovating within the security landscape, making the digital world a safer place for everyone. &nbsp; Our achievements, partnerships and forward-thinking vision continue to prove our standing as the leader in Cyber Safety. &nbsp;We’ve hit many major milestones in our first year as Gen. While there is so much to reflect on and celebrate, here are a few highlights.

<h2>Leveraging AI to fight fraudsters: introducing Norton Genie&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>In response to the evolving sophistication of cyber threats, we introduced Norton Genie to help people take control of their Cyber Safety. This innovative app combines the power of AI with the human intelligence and experience of our teams to combat digital scams, which are becoming more complex and prevalent every day.&nbsp; &nbsp;With proprietary AI models trained on decades of scam and fraud data, Genie provides an accessible and intuitive way for people to intelligently judge the legitimacy of messages across various platforms. Whether dealing with texts, emails or social media messages, Genie operates as a simple yet powerful tool in the fight against digital scams.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our goals for Genie are clear: provide an approachable application that offers a real-time guide for people in a world where scams and fraud are harder to spot than ever. By simply uploading a screenshot of a suspicious message, people can gain immediate insights into its credibility. This accessibility, combined with advanced AI technology, helps to empower consumers to navigate their digital communications confidently and helps to safeguard them against potential threats.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Partnering with the Open Wallet Foundation to promote Digital Freedom&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>In today's world, digital connectivity is essential, enabling individuals to shop, bank, learn and connect from virtually anywhere. As we approach an even more digitally integrated future, we're committed to ensuring that this evolution prioritizes people’s safety, privacy and freedom. Our unique approach focuses on creating a future where digital empowerment and security go hand in hand.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;This year, our partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://openwallet.foundation/">Open Wallet Foundation</a>&nbsp;(OWF) marked a significant milestone toward realizing that goal. We advocate for a secure, decentralized means for transactions and identity that turns away from a future where individual companies control people’s data and financial information.&nbsp; &nbsp;The open-source digital wallet, a key goal of the OWF, supports the development of digital wallets that are portable, secure and able to be used on any device, for any service and with any type of data. It’s a sea change for consumer autonomy, offering a solution where privacy, financial information and transaction history are controlled by the individual, rather than individual corporations.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Hitting top 5 for the Fortune Modern Board 25&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Our recognition by the&nbsp;<a href="https://fortune.com/ranking/modern-board-25/">Fortune Modern Board 25</a>&nbsp;as having one of the top five most innovative boards in the S&amp;P 500 is a proud reflection of our ongoing commitment to consumer protection.&nbsp; &nbsp;Fortune’s prestigious ranking highlights the diverse and innovation-driven members of our board, stretching from Arizona to Prague. Our board members come from backgrounds that reflect expertise in Cyber Safety and other related fields. Their collective diversity, experience, insight and independence are the driving forces behind our innovative approach to navigating the rapidly changing digital climate.&nbsp;&nbsp;On top of this recognition, we also received other accolades that deserve a mention:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>One of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/company-news/newsweek-most-trustworthy-companies-2023">America’s Most Trustworthy Companies</a>&nbsp;by Newsweek&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.pcmag.com/articles/best-tech-brands-2024">Best Tech Brands</a>&nbsp;by PCMag, Norton and Avast&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/innovation/se-labs-awards">Best Home and Free Anti-Malware</a>&nbsp;by SE Labs, Norton 360 and Avast Free Antivirus&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/innovation/av-test-awards">Best Protection</a>&nbsp;(Windows) by AV-Test, Norton, Avast, AVG and Avira&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Honoring our responsibilities and creating a culture of giving&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>We’re committed to making a real impact. And, for us, the best way we know how is to connect our passions with technical knowledge to provide Cyber Safety education and data privacy training around the world. With partners like Nasscom Foundation, Czechitas and The Trevor Project, we’re able to support and empower people of all ages and from all walks of life.&nbsp;From large-scale efforts like $424K donated on Giving Tuesday, our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/community/gen-volunteer-day-2023">Global Volunteer Day</a>, and Back-to-School volunteering to individual efforts for sustainability, 2023 has been full of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/">positive impact</a>&nbsp;that people can feel. We’re very grateful that others have recognized us for that.&nbsp;<ul><li>One of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-most-responsible-companies-2024">America’s Most Responsible Companies</a>&nbsp;by Newsweek&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://bit.ly/3RktM1Z">Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index</a>&nbsp;by S&amp;P Global&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.pointsoflight.org/press-releases/points-of-light-announces-2023-honorees-of-the-civic-50-and-releases-key-insights/">The Civic 50</a>&nbsp;by Points of Light&nbsp;</li></ul>Our social impact work helps us to bring equity, opportunities and safety to people all over the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Our commitment to innovation and protection continues&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>As we look to the future, our dedication to protecting people around the world from scams, viruses, malware and other exploits remains steadfast. Gen stands to be at the forefront of Cyber Safety innovation and our global reach informs our understanding of cultural nuances and vulnerabilities in our fight against cyberthreats. For 2024, we’ll continue to adapt and address the ever-evolving threat landscape, now exacerbated by weaponization of AI, to provide comprehensive protection for people worldwide.&nbsp;&nbsp;We're proud of the strides we've made in our purpose of Powering Digital Freedom and excited for what lies ahead. We invite you to delve deeper into our accomplishments and future plans by visiting the&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.gendigital.com/">Gen newsroom</a>&nbsp;and exploring our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/family-of-brands/">product advancements</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Together, we can continue to shape a future where Digital Freedom and security are not just ideals but realities for everyone. Join us in creating a safer digital tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

2023 at Gen: Our Year in Review

Looking Back at 2023 and Dreaming of 2024 

What do we mean by an “open” wallet? &nbsp;

In contrast to proprietary technology or a “walled garden,” an open wallet ecosystem enables individuals to move their data freely across the internet – with the ability to safely and privately share information with trusted brands, peers and devices. If an individual switches from Apple to Android, or vice versa, they should be able to take their wallet with them – just as they can transfer money between banks. If you think of digital wallets as the keys to your digital life, then an open wallet ensures that these keys can never be “locked in” to a proprietary wallet. The individual is always in control. &nbsp;

OpenWallet Foundation (OWF) recently published its definition of what it means to build a truly, <a href="https://openwallet.foundation/2023/08/23/join-us-in-building-a-truly-open-wallet-foundation/">“open” wallet community</a>. This is an effort Gen strongly supports because, as a founding Premier member of the OWF, we believe it is critical to the growing open wallet movement.&nbsp;&nbsp;

To explain why this matters, let’s start with something more familiar: a physical wallet. If you think of the wallet, clutch or purse you use every day, you likely have a variety of paper or plastic cards that can be used to either make a purchase or prove your identity. These wallets come in all sorts of shapes and carry different brand names and security features, like RFID blocking, but ultimately, they are a vessel for carrying these payment and identity cards. If you’re at checkout, it makes no difference to the retailer what brand your wallet is, and you can move your cards from one wallet to another with no impact.&nbsp;

A digital wallet is much the same, except instead of being restricted to pocket-sized cards, you can now store any type of digital document, from diplomas to deeds. There is a growing movement across the public and private sectors to digitize paper records and make them easier to securely share online using digital wallet technology. Most notably, we’re seeing a new specification for mobile driver licenses available in select US states, which can already be stored in an Apple or Google Wallet. We’re also seeing a host of individual brands offering their own digital wallets to enable a variety of use cases, from omnichannel authentication to loyalty programs.&nbsp;

While we’re still in the early days, we believe digital wallets – and the ability they represent for individuals to be able to control their data – will be a cornerstone of the future of our digital world. They could become just as important as the browsers and smartphone apps you use every day. They could arguably be even more important because the wallet will become the primary tool through which individuals maintain their digital security, protect their digital privacy and assert their digital autonomy.&nbsp;

Your digital wallet will contain the “keys to your kingdom”— the cryptographic keys you will use to securely unlock everything in your digital life, from your devices and files to your accounts and services. Your wallet will also contain the set of verifiable digital credentials that you need to provide proof of your identity and permissions at all the various sites and services you use — just like you need the credentials in your physical wallet today to board a plane, rent a car and reserve a hotel room.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Forty years ago, the open internet started unlocking billions of dollars in new value for people, businesses and governments all over the world. In the 2000’s, the open web repeated the feat, unlocking trillions more in value. &nbsp;

The next step is the open wallet era — and it is well on its way. For example, on its six-month anniversary last week, the OpenWallet Foundation (OWF) <a href="https://openwallet.foundation/2023/08/23/openwallet-foundation-announces-google-as-premier-member/">announced two milestones</a>: the addition of Google as the newest Premier member and the contribution of digital wallet code components from the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), an open-source platform for national scale digital identity systems.&nbsp;

Open wallet infrastructure is poised to generate tremendous value yet again for our digital world — while at the same time giving us a powerful new tool for solving many of our deepest cybersecurity, privacy and digital equity problems.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At Gen, we consider open wallets to be closely aligned with our purpose of powering Digital Freedom, and it’s why we’re so proud to <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/company-news/openwallet-foundation">support the work of the OpenWallet Foundation</a>. Beyond the OWF, members of our Digital Trust Services group are also leading work on open standards for digital wallets and trust infrastructure at the World Wide Web Consortium, the Decentralized Identity Foundation and the Trust Over IP Foundation. We’re also a very active contributor to one of the large-scale pilots for the European Digital Identity Wallet Initiative (<a href="https://blog.avast.com/eidas-2.0-avast">eIDAS 2.0</a>), which emphasizes the importance of openness, portability, and interoperability.&nbsp;

We invite you to join us in building a strong and resilient open wallet community.&nbsp;

What the work of the OpenWallet Foundation means for the future and for digital freedom.

The Growing Progress of the Open Wallet Movement 

We’re honored to share that Gen™ has been recognized for the second year in a row on Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies. We do not take for granted the millions of people around the world who trust us to help them safely navigate our complex digital world. Our family of consumer Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner, enable people to take full advantage of the digital world, safely, privately, and confidently.

Here at Gen, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We’re guided by our principles and purpose, and we feel great responsibility for the trust and confidence our customers, employees, and all stakeholders place in us. With increasing and changing cyberthreats, our products and employees have become more vital than ever.

Whether it’s the products we develop or our community-based initiatives, everything we do is with a people-first mindset with trust at its core. As cyberthreats continue to evolve and the digital landscape becomes more complex, we’re grateful for all our customers who look to us as a reliable, trustworthy resource they can turn to for all their digital safety needs.

America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of U.S. residents who rated companies based on the three pillars of trust: Customer, investor and employee trust. All companies headquartered in the US with a revenue over $500 million were considered in the study, resulting in the top 700 Most Trustworthy Companies across 23 industries.

Check out the full list of Newsweek’s America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 at <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/most-trustworthy-companies-america-2023">www.newsweek.com.</a>

This marks the company’s second recognition since Newsweek’s inaugural list in 2022.

Gen Recognized as One of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America

Today marks the formal launch of the <a href="https://openwallet.foundation/">OpenWallet Foundation</a> (OWF), the first global collaboration on open source code for interoperable, multi-purpose digital wallets. Although it may not be apparent right now, in the future we will look back on this and see it as a very important inflection point for the whole digital ecosystem.&nbsp;

Why? Because the universal digital wallet is going to be a critically important tool that has the potential to allow people to keep their personal data safe and private and build more trusted online relationships.&nbsp;

This is why Gen, the world’s leading consumer Cyber Safety company, worked with the <a href="https://www.linuxfoundation.org/">Linux Foundation</a> to help organize the OWF and contribute as a <a href="https://linuxfoundation.eu/newsroom/linux-foundation-europe-launches-open-wallet">Founding Premier Member.</a>&nbsp;

Our Gen cybersecurity experts have long recognized that the deepest problems in online fraud, misinformation, bot attacks, and other cybercrime were ultimately rooted in the ability of attackers to fake their identities and impersonate legitimate actors.&nbsp;

Although the Internet identity industry has spent 25 years developing public key infrastructure (PKI) and federated identity systems to combat these threats, they have not been able to hold back the massive tide of new AI-driven attacks. What’s worse, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware">ransomware-as-a-service</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake">deep fakes</a>, and more recently, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT">rapid advancements in the AI technology</a> are escalating these concerns to a whole new level. It is rapidly becoming all but impossible for an ordinary mortal to determine what is or is not authentic online.&nbsp;

The solution lies in the new model of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-sovereign_identity">decentralized digital identity</a> that, ironically, is based on the same way we have been proving our identity in the real world for centuries: with wallets containing credentials. Only now they will be digital wallets containing digital credentials.&nbsp;

Many smartphone users are already using some form of digital wallet on their devices. However, these are proprietary digital wallets owned and controlled by the vendors of those devices, with a limited set of capabilities and credentials they choose to support.&nbsp;

The future of the Internet — and most importantly of digital freedom — lies in the consumer having their choice of open standard digital wallets. Wallets that can accept digital credentials from any issuer, present them to any verifier, transact over any payment or value exchange network, and help manage your own set of trusted digital relationships — for life. And all of that across all popular platforms, with no walled gardens and vendors lock-ins.&nbsp;

This is the vision and mission of the OpenWallet Foundation: to bring together companies, government agencies, open source projects, and non-profit organizations from around the world to develop the core “engine” that anyone can use to build a secure, privacy-respecting multi-purpose digital wallet.&nbsp;

Our Premier membership in OWF underscores Gen’s commitment to the future of decentralized identity and digital trust infrastructure that we believe will be fundamental to powering Digital Freedom.&nbsp;

Digital wallets offer a future that provides improved privacy and safety for everyone online.

Why Gen is a Founding Premier Member of the OpenWallet Foundation

In September we announced NortonLifeLock and Avast officially coming together as one company. Today, we’re proud to share we’ve accomplished the milestone of joining together with a greater and more powerful mission than ever before. We’ve launched a new company, Gen: For the next generation of digital life.

<h2>Digital life is life</h2>

Think back to when your life started going digital. Some remember what life was like without having access to the internet at all. When you were introduced to technology, you embraced it as a part of your life. For others, a digital footprint was created before you took your first step.

With each generation comes the advancement of technology beyond what could have been imagined. Today, that line between what was digital life and real life is gone. Digital life is life. We work, shop, learn and socialize online. And it’s kept us connected and helped keep us going, beyond what we’d expect.

For those who can remember, there was a time when you could pick up antivirus products at the store and install it on your computer. That was considered sufficient at the time, but the world has irrevocably changed with convenience and connection at our fingertips 24/7. This digital evolution has also created opportunities to expose more of our lives to crime. In fact, <a href="https://www.nortonlifelock.com/us/en/newsroom/press-kits/2022-norton-cyber-safety-insights-report-special-release-online-creeping/">more than half of consumers have experienced a cybercrime</a>. It’s not just our devices that need protection now — it’s our identity and privacy, too.

<h2>Powering Digital Freedom for generations</h2>

Gen’s family of consumer brands is rooted in protecting the first digital generations. And now there’s a new generation — it’s not Gen X, Y, or Z. It’s Gen D. Generation digital. A generation of people linked by being a part of digital life as we know it today.

Today’s technology goes beyond the wildest dreams of previous generations and has helped us unlock endless possibilities, but we’re not free to fully embrace and enjoy them until we’re protected and empowered in all aspects of our digital life.

That’s why we’ve made it our purpose to power Digital Freedom for consumers through Gen’s family of trusted consumer brands: Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, Reputation Defender and CCleaner. We’re committed to bringing our energy, our smarts and global presence to systematically tackle cyber threats and challenges for this generation and the next.

Separate we were strong. But together, we're setting out to put control, freedom, and empowerment into the hands of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Welcome to Gen.

Company News

Looking Back at 2023 and Dreaming of 2024

The Growing Progress of the Open Wallet Movement

Gen Recognized as One of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America

Why Gen is a Founding Premier Member of the OpenWallet Foundation

Introducing Gen. For the next generation of digital life.