Parry Aftab
Quick Facts
Biography
Parry Aftab is an Internet privacy and security lawyer and founder of the world's largest and oldest cybersafety charity. Named by The Boston Herald as "the leading expert in cybercrime in the world," Dr. Aftab has a long list of honors and companies.and Internet safety expert who founded the Internet safety organization WiredSafety and the consulting firm, WiredTrust.
Career
Aftab became the chief of the U.S. National Action Committee for UNESCO's World Citizen's Committee on Protecting Innocence in Danger group in 1999. She became a member of the Board of Directors for the non-profit, TRUSTe in 2003. In 2005, the United States Congress issued a resolution that recognized her efforts to combat cyberbullying as Executive Director of StopCyberbullying and WiredSafety.
Her organization, WiredSafety, became a member of Facebook's Safety Advisory Board in 2009 and in April, Aftab appeared on Good Morning America for its Town Hall Meeting on sexting. In 2010 she received the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award and was one of 28 members in the Online Safety and Technology Working Group of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
She was the co-recipient of the RCMP's Child Recovery Award in 2011. Aftab was one of the organizers for a 2015 anti-cyberbullying event in Ireland, and has been a member of the advisory boards for MTV's A Thin Line, Fair Play, Sesame Street Online and the Ad Council. Her clients have included Facebook, Disney and Nickelodeon.
Reception
Members of radical Internet groups who disagree with her anti-cyberbullying campaigns have "launched a massive Internet harassment campaign" against her. In July 2011 her detractors incited a swatting incident at her home when they contacted police claiming her house was the site of murders and hostages. Aftab was on vacation at the time and a local police swat team investigated the false claims.
According to the British blogger Katie Jones, Aftab tried to coerce her into releasing control of the domain, Katie.com, which was also the name of a newly published book. Jones refused and wrote about the incident on her website.
Publications
- Child Abuse on the Internet. Ending the Silence, Carlos A. Arnaldo, Ed., Chapter 21: "The Technical Response: Blocking, Filtering and Rating the Internet", pp. 135–140 (2001) ISBN 92-3-103728-5 ISBN 978-9231037283
- Inocencia en Peligro : Conviva con sus Hijos y Protéjalos Cuando Naveguen por Internet (2001) ISBN 970-10-3297-7 ISBN 978-9701032978
- The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace (1999) ISBN 0-07-135752-1 ISBN 978-0071357524
- Parents Guide to the Internet: And How to Protect Your Children in Cyberspace (1997) ISBN 0-9660491-0-1 ISBN 978-0966049107