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Parry has devoted her expertise,
since 1995, to enhancing cyber-security for business and governmental entities,
as well as preventing and investigating cyber-crimes, especially those that
arise in the workplace or relate to Internet predators. In this field, she often
wears two hats -- one is her commercial role of the cyber-lawyer focused on
keeping businesses safe in cyberspace and improving e-commerce and trust, while
the other is her pro-bono hat where she is heavily involved in Internet safety
and security for children, senior citizens and victims of cyber-stalking and
abuse. In her pro-bono role, she runs the world's largest online safety and help
group that works closely with all major law enforcement agencies worldwide. To
learn more about Parry's charitable work, visit
WiredSafety.org and
WiredKids.org.
About Parry Aftab:
           
The challenge of describing Parry
Parry often says that trying to describe her is like the parable of the
six blind men trying to describe an elephant.
 Each touches a different part of the elephant,
concluding that the entire animal was like the body part they touched. The
ear is compared to giant wings, the legs to a tree trunk, the trunk to a
snake, the tail to a long thin vine, etc. (We've taken liberties with the
comparative descriptions.) Although the elephant is a bit like
each of its parts, it's not at all like it parts when you consider the whole. An elephant is an
elephant. To know an elephant
requires that you know more than its parts. You need to know how they fit
together.
[For the true parable about the elephant and the blind men,
click here.]
Parry, like
that elephant, is different depending on where you meet her and what role
she is playing. She is a
mother,
cyberlawyer, expert in online privacy and security,
cybercrime and safety, an international privacy lawyer, a child advocate,
author, consultant and public speaker.
Often appearing on television
and in print media, her opinions and expertise are sought worldwide. Yet, she is accessible to the
hundreds of people who e-mail her daily for her help or advice on online
safety.
Since 1994, Parry has been leading online communities and creating places
and opportunities for people to help each other online. Her first foray into
providing online help, using unpaid expert volunteers, was when she created
AOL's Legal Information Network's Legal Discussions. Hundreds of lawyers
joined her to provide legal information, without charge, to people who
visited their discussion boards. AOL's Legal Help model was soon replicated
by Parry and her volunteers for Court TV's Legal Helpline, where the same
volunteers would answer questions on the Web. You can read more about that
from her intro to her first book.
One thing led to another, and Parry became one of the
first cyberlawyers
in the world.
She was also was hooked on the Internet and all its promise. But to deliver
upon that promise, the Internet needed to be safe, private and secure, and
Internet users needed a place and people they could turn to when they needed help
online, or they found themselves being victimized.
Without a 911 in
cyberspace, Parry sought to create a cyber-helpline, using unpaid volunteers
from around the work, working virtually, to provide help to those who need
it online. For years she ran a program she had created called Cyberangels.
When problems arose with the ownership and control of that name (even
lawyers can ignore careful planning sometimes), Parry and
all her volunteers left and created a new non-profit organization. That
organization is called WiredSafety (wiredsafety.org) and its family of sites and programs
includes WiredPatrol.org, WiredKids.org and Cyberlawenforcement.org.
Because of her work in protecting Internet users, Parry is known as the "Angel
of the Internet." The Boston Herald calls her the
leading expert on cybercrime in the United States. Everyone else just calls her
"Parry." If you know her, you can sense her energy and
upbeat attitude. When Parry is involved, you can sit back and relax,
knowing you're in good hands. If you are a journalist on a deadline,
click here. We'll try to make sure you'll
never miss a deadline, and if we can't help you will direct you to someone
who can. If you want to learn more about this site, which is one of the
first legal websites online,
click here. |
Parry
Aftab, Esq., 
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