SocialShield Appoints Steve DeWarns as Chief Safety Officer

SAN BRUNO, Calif., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SocialShield (www.socialshield.com), the leading online monitoring service dedicated to helping parents keep their children safe on social networks, today announced the addition of Steve DeWarns as chief safety officer.

A 21-year law enforcement veteran with specific expertise in the field of online child exploitation investigations and Internet safety, Officer DeWarns will oversee the company's efforts to deter cyberbullying, cyberstalking and other online dangers. He will also serve as the primary liaison between SocialShield and various law enforcement communities.

"SocialShield plays a crucial role in helping protect children online, and I'm very excited to join the company during this exciting phase of its growth," said DeWarns. "With its industry-leading, patent-pending technology, its seasoned management team and powerful ties to law enforcement agencies, SocialShield is uniquely positioned to carry out its mission of helping protect children from the dangers that lurk on social networks."

Officer DeWarns is the founder of Internet Child Safety (www.internetchildsafety.net) and currently sits on the Consumer Advisory Board for McAfee, Inc. DeWarns also serves as a police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an advisor to SocialShield over the last year, his consultation has been integral in helping the company shape the features and direction of its award-winning product.

For the past 12 years, Officer DeWarns has dedicated himself to teaching online safety to parents and children, having lectured to more than 500,000 students throughout California. He has also worked with the F.B.I.'s Innocent Images department and the U.S. Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force. Officer DeWarns' media appearances include NBC's Today Show, The Dr. Phil Show and other national news outlets.  

"Parents depend on us not only for their children's online security and privacy, but also for our counsel and general leadership," said George Garrick, chief executive officer of SocialShield. "Officer DeWarns is unmatched in his authority on the subject of child safety on the Internet, and his expertise and vision will be invaluable as we continue to roll out new products and programs to help parents manage their children online."  

About SocialShield

SocialShield is the leading cloud-based social network monitoring service. SocialShield gives parents affordable, easy-to-use, state-of-the-art tools to help them enhance Internet safety for their children in the online environment. The patent-pending SocialShield technology flags parents about their children's activities on popular social networks so they can feel comfortable about who their children interact with online, what photos and conversations are being posted, and where children have profiles. Yet, by operating primarily as an "exception reporting" technology, children can still use these networks with a feeling of privacy and independence.  Based in San Bruno, CA, SocialShield is backed by USVP and Venrock as well as several notable private investors. For more, visit www.socialshield.com.

SOURCE SocialShield