ROCKLAND –- Trekkers, a local youth mentoring organization, will be hosting "Tech Talks" on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at the Strand Theatre in Rockland. The presenter will be Scott Carpenter, deputy director of Google Ideas, who will be presenting two topics related to the digital age and the Internet.

Carpenter's first presentation is "Data Permanence in the New Digital Age: Having 'The Talk' with your kids (but not the one you're thinking about), " which runs from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. "It is a truism that the current generation thinks about privacy differently than previous generations. Voluntarily many of us post every act of our personal lives to an eternal timeline that records our daily lives. A treasure trove for future historians, it is also the basis on which an employer will hire. Those entirely off-line should not be complacent. What happens if you have no identity on line but someone else creates that identity for you?" said Scott Carpenter. "I will explore these questions and others related to data permanence in the digital age." Students are welcome to attend at no charge to hear why it's important to think twice about what they share online.

"Head in the Clouds: The Internet's Next Five Billion and World Politics" is the title of the second talk, which will run from 7  p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Commenting about this topic, Carpenter says, "Everywhere we look, we see that connectivity is transforming the way individuals, organizations, and states interact. For all that has been reported about 'cyber attacks' and 'hacktivism', we are only just beginning to grasp how these changes will impact typical questions related to foreign policy and national security." In this talk, Carpenter will explore the role of technology to both harm and protect in our new digital age.

As deputy director of Google Ideas, Scott Carpenter drives implementation of the team's overall strategy and manages the portfolios addressing illicit networks and ending online censorship. Prior to joining Google, Carpenter founded and directed Project Fikra as the Keston Family Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he remains an adjunct fellow.

Previously serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near East Affairs, he helped conceive and implement the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) before being named coordinator for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA).

Tickets for the 5 p.m. "Data Permanence" talk are $7, with no charge for students to attend. Tickets to the 7 p.m. "Head in the Clouds" talk are $10 each, with students free. There is also a combination ticket for both talks at $15 each. Tickets are available at the Trekkers' office in Thomaston; Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden; and the Reading Corner and hello, hello books in Rockland. All proceeds will benefit Trekkers' youth mentoring programs.

Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary of working with young people, Trekkers connects young people with caring adults through expeditionary learning, community service and adventure-based education. The organization serves more than 200 local youth and involves more than 100 adult mentors from the communities of Cushing, Owls Head, Rockland, South Thomaston, St. George and Thomaston.

For more information, or to reserve tickets, call the Trekkers office: (207) 594-5095.