Parry Aftab is an American lawyer specializing in Internet privacy and security law, and is considered "one of the founders of the field of cyberlaw". She is the Executive Director of WiredSafety.org, a volunteer organization dedicated to online safety. She was featured in Chris Hansen's book, To Catch a Predator. She created the StopCyberbullying Coalition to help address cyberbullying and digital abuse issues. She was appointed to the federal NTIA Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG) and the Berkman Center's Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF). Facebook appointed her to its Safety Advisory Board. She advises MTV as well.
Aftab assisted the UN at its recent Cyberhate Conference.
Aftab was one of 24 experts and industry leaders appointed to the Congressionally created NTIA Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG) in 2009. She was one of the 29 members of the Berkman Center's Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF). On April 15, 2009 Parry joined Diane Sawyer in the first town meeting on morning TV, on the topic of sexting. She keynoted the Children and ICT event held in Gijón, Spain as part of the EU Safer Internet initiative.
In 2009, Parry Aftab created the StopCyberbullying Coalition to help address cyberbullying and digital abuse issues. The StopCyberbullying Coalition members include Facebook, AOL, Microsoft, Build-A-Bear, Procter & Gamble, Google, Yahoo!, Disney, Webkinz, the Girl Scouts of the USA, Buzz Marketing Group, MTV and others. Her work on sexting issues began in 1998 when a teen sent nude and sexual videos to a boy she liked. She is working with the families of the girls who took their own lives after their sexting images were used to harass them and were broadcast to their communities.
Facebook appointed Aftab to its Safety Advisory Board. She advises MTV as well.
Parry Aftab told the Minnesota School Board Association at their annual meeting in August 2009 that they need to address cyberbullying. She warned that they have to adopt a cell phone policy and enforce it.
Following September 11th, Parry Aftab's charity, WiredSafety, helped protect the families of those killed at the World Trade Center. She worked to help children worldwide get past the fear they felt following the attacks. She found a rescue worker who had worked at Ground Zero with his search and rescue dog, Servous. To help children understand the rescue dogs issue better, she wrote a children's story published on WiredKids.org.
Aftab was involved in a dispute surrounding the domain katie.com. In 2000, Penguin Putnam published a book titled Katie.com. A domain of the same name was already owned by Katie Jones. There arose a dispute between the publisher and Jones. In 2004, Aftab contacted Jones and, in an effort to address concerns relating to young people visiting Jones's site thinking it was the official book site of the story of a victim of an Internet sexual predator, asked Jones to consider either donating the site to a cybersafety charity or redirecting traffic from the young readers to the charity site. Jones refused. Aftab accused her of having a hidden agenda, which Jones considered to be cyberbullying in itself. In an interview, Jones stated that she was being emotionally blackmailed and that Aftab told her that "things would 'only get worse' for me" if she did not transfer the domain. Jones received support from the online community, and eventually Penguin renamed the book A Girl's Life Online.
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 9231037285 ISBN 978-9231037283
Inocencia en Peligro : Conviva con sus Hijos y Protéjalos Cuando Naveguen por Internet (2001) ISBN 9701032977 ISBN 978-9701032978
The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace (1999) ISBN 0071357521 ISBN 978-0071357524
Parents Guide to the Internet: And How to Protect Your Children in Cyberspace (1997) ISBN 0966049101 ISBN 978-0966049107
