Who owns HMA (HideMyAss!)?
HMA (HideMyAss!) is owned by Gen Digital Inc., listed (NASDAQ:GEN). The site runs under Avast Software s.r.o., Czech Republic. The same owner has 5 other VPNs.
| Ultimate owner | Gen Digital Inc. (listed (NASDAQ:GEN)) |
|---|---|
| Operating company | Avast Software s.r.o., Czech Republic |
| Website | hidemyass.com |
| Sister VPNs | 5 |
| Fines and actions | 3 |
| Owner proof | verified |
| Last checked | 14 Oct 2026 |
In numbers
- Avast Software s.r.o. also runs 2 other VPNs under the same company.
- Gen Digital Inc. owns 6 brand families with 6 websites in our data.
- 3 fines and legal actions against the owner since 2011, about €29 million in total (converted to euros).
About Gen Digital Inc.
Consumer security group formed when NortonLifeLock completed its merger with Avast in September 2022 and renamed itself Gen, with dual headquarters in Tempe, Arizona and Prague. It sells VPNs under the Norton, Avast, AVG, Avira and HMA brands, and also owns CCleaner. Avast was fined by the FTC and the Czech data protection office over browsing-data sales via its former Jumpshot subsidiary.
Headquarters: United States / Czech Republic · Founded: 1982 · Ownership: listed (NASDAQ:GEN)
How we know, and what we could not confirm
How we know: Privacy policy names Avast Software s.r.o. (Prague) as data controller within the Gen Digital group. In 2011 HMA disclosed a user's IP under a court order in the LulzSec/Sony case.
- We have no company registration number for Avast Software s.r.o..
5 sister VPNs
Same owner can mean the same servers, the same data policies and the same parent that can be asked for data.
Norton VPNnorton.com- Avast SecureLine VPNavast.com
AVG Secure VPNavg.com
Avira Phantom VPNavira.com
CCleanerccleaner.com
Everything Gen Digital Inc. owns, with fines and sources →
Fines and legal actions
| Date | Company | Regulator / court | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-15 | Avast Software s.r.o. | Czech Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU) | CZK 351,000,000 | GDPR fine (about EUR 13.9m) for transferring pseudonymised browsing histories of about 100 million users to Jumpshot without a lawful basis and misleading users about it. source |
| 2024-02-22 | Avast Limited / Avast Software s.r.o. | FTC | USD 16,500,000 | FTC said Avast collected browsing data through its antivirus and browser extensions and sold it via subsidiary Jumpshot to over 100 third parties despite privacy promises. Order bans selling browsing data for ads and requires payment for consumer redress; finalised June 2024. source |
| 2011-09 | HideMyAss (Privax; then independent, later bought by Avast) | court | — | HMA disclosed a user's IP address under a court order, which helped identify a LulzSec member charged over the Sony Pictures hack. source |
Ratings elsewhere
- Trustpilot: read the reviews there
Ratings from other websites, with their source. We do not copy their reviews, and they do not change our facts.
Questions and answers
Who owns HMA (HideMyAss!)?
Gen Digital Inc..
What are the sister VPNs of HMA (HideMyAss!)?
Norton VPN, Avast SecureLine VPN, AVG Secure VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, CCleaner.
Has the owner of HMA (HideMyAss!) been fined?
3 records on file. The latest: Czech Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU), 2024-04-15.
Sources
- https://www.hidemyass.com/en-us/legal/privacy
- https://www.theregister.com/2011/09/26/hidemyass_lulzsec_controversy/
- https://uoou.gov.cz/en/news/business-communication
Last checked 14 Oct 2026. How we check facts.