Couldn’t Walk Away…
NetPropriate was founded by a veteran investigator who spent more than four decades working with California schools. During that time, he helped remove dozens of dangerous individuals from classrooms — but the cases were almost always reactive, surfacing only after harm had been done. That reality drove him to create something better: a way to identify risks before abuse happens.
From that commitment, the idea for NetPropriate’s Power Scanner was born. By leveraging digital forensics and a continually updated global hash database, the software allows schools to proactively detect inappropriate material — without ever intruding on personal privacy.
Couldn’t Walk Away…
After retiring from a prolific career of over forty years as a private investigator for California School Districts, something didn’t sit right with founder, Steve Hummel. He had been personally responsible for removing 33 predators from California classrooms, nearly all of which were either investigated after they had already harmed, or, more often, were under suspicion for something else, only to have Steve uncover the truth. This is what bothered him. There had to be a Proactive way to find these bad actors, and protect even More children. The idea for the Power Scanner formulated and that’s when he realized, there was no way he could ever retire if that possibility existed.
“You don’t get to mess with the kids!”
-Steve Hummel, Founder, CEO
Digital Forensics and
Investigative Experience
42+ years
Bad Actors Removed
From CA Classrooms
33 predators
The Idea was Simple…
In case after case, one fact stood out: almost every predator had inappropriate material on their devices. By scanning networks for file fingerprints (not file content), NetPropriate provides school districts and organizations with a clear, proactive way to prevent abuse, safeguard staff, and reduce liability.
With zero false positives, administrators gain a trustworthy tool that protects both students and educators.
The Idea was Simple…
After conducting countless digital forensics on concerning devices, Steve made a key discovery: while not everyone who views inappropriate content poses a threat (though they do open their organization up to liability), almost every pedophile had such material on their devices. Imagine a comprehensive and continually updated master database, filled with hash files representing various forms of inappropriate content—such as adult material, CSAM, munitions, poisons, and bomb-related content. Now, imagine software that scans a network, reads file metadata (without accessing file content to protect privacy), cross-references against this database, and provides a precise report of any matches. This ensures accuracy with zero false positives.
Stepping Up…
NetPropriate’s leadership team brings together decades of investigative experience with backgrounds in business development, education advocacy, and community safety. Beyond professional expertise, many of our team members are parents, educators, and community leaders — driven by the same mission: to keep children safe and empower schools with proactive protection.