Gordon Ross
President/ CEO
Virtual Preception Systems Inc.
Gordon Ross career spans over 30 years as an award-winning Internet filtering pioneer,
Biometric technology expert, Computer security professional, and Telecommunications engineer. He is also an internationally sought-after speaker.
He is a firm believer that education, combined with effective technology solutions, proper training and education
will ensure the Internet and the rest of digital world remains an open, safe, secure and helpful place for the global community.
Mr. Ross created, developed, designed and marketed the first filtering software for the Internet. He led the development of several additional Internet and Biometric security products. He established a solid market and brand leadership, beginning with the industry's first filtering product - Net Nanny®
and also the world's first commercially available "pure" software biometric product called "BioPassword®. Since then, he has expanded the development of Filtering and Biometric and other Security technology to perpetuate his vision and mission of providing powerful tools that allow users options and
flexibility in protecting their Digital Information, Intellectual Property, and Privacy.
Mr. Ross is an expert on issues concerning the Internet, privacy, security, telecommunications and child safety.
He has testified before the US Congressionally appointed COPA Commission on filtering technologies, assisting the Commission in drafting their report about ways to protect children from sexually explicit material. He sat
on the US Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Board, and testified before Sen. John McCain's Commerce Committee hearing on Internet Pornography.
His expertise these various areas lead him to be personally invited by the White House to meet with President and Vice-President of the US and other Senior US Government Officials to discuss technological solutions for protecting society in today's digital world.
He was invited by and spoke before the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's forum, in Paris France, on Internet content and self-regulation. He was also invited, by the Bertelsmann Foundation, to speak on "Child Safety and the Internet", including the use of International Ratings and Filtering, in Guterslough and Munich Germany. Mr. Ross was invited by and spoke before the Freedom Forum's annual "Technology Conference for Journalism Educators" in San Francisco in regards to an open Internet and Freedom of Speech. He was also invited by Harvard to be a member of a panel of technology experts at Harvard University's symposium, "The Internet and Society".
He spoke at, and arranged, "The Internet and Our Children," an event that Net Nanny co-sponsored with Microsoft, and featured Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), former Congressman Rick White (R-WA, 1st DST.), the U.S. Customs Child Pornography and Cyber-smuggling Unit, the ACLU, and CyberAngels.
He is the recipient of the first ever "The Christian Computing Award" for a software product, in recognition for his long-standing contribution to further public understanding of the important issues surrounding safety and securing data in the online world.
For his exhaustive efforts, to ensure that the Internet is a safe and open medium, Mr. Ross received the first "Internet Humanitarian of the Year" award, from CyberAngels in New York, an online Internet safety organization (a division of the Guardian Angels).
Mr. Ross was awarded the "Ethics in Action Award", in Vancouver, Canada, for individual ongoing corporate responsibility for his continual involvement if make the digital world a safer place and for sharing that knowledge with others.
Prior to developing and marketing Net Nanny into a globally recognized name, Mr. Ross developed expertise in information flow, securing telecommunication systems, routing, access control and network management while working as Engineering Manager at TELUS (formerly BC Tel.), the largest Verizon operating company in Canada.
As the Network Systems Manager, he was responsible for overseeing the development of the company's multi-million dollar NICS (Networking Information and Communications System). During his 14-year tenure at BC TEL, he also served in Beijing, China, instructing on Network Systems and computers and their uses within the North American telecommunications network, to Post and Telecommunication Senior Staff in Beijing.
He has consulted with various organizations, has written course material for the University of Washington, and has guest lectured at the University of British Columbia. Mr. Ross is currently President of Virtual Perception Systems Inc, www.virtualperception.net , a Vancouver software company, developing solutions to protect against ID Theft, Fraud, and to safe-guard our digital assets.
Mr. Ross is a graduate from California State Polytechnic University, holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics Engineering, and is a registered Professional Engineer. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of "The Society For The Policing Of Cyberspace" (www.polcyb.org) and is often speaks at their Annual Conferences and Quarterly Meetings In regards to Biometrics, Ethics, Privacy and Data protection, and other Security related issues. He is also an active and member of the AGORA, a group of security and law enforcement professionals.
He is a Veteran of the US Army, where he was trained as a communications specialist. He attended AT&T's Network Management School in New Jersey and has taken numerous management courses from Verizon (formerly GTE). Mr. Ross is also an Alumnus of the Banff School of Advanced Management.
He was born in Vancouver B.C. is a 3rd. generation "Vancouverite" and a graduate of Magee High School in Vancouver. He currently resides in the greater Vancouver area.