Most Inspiring Women in Cyber 2021: Gail Kent, Director of Messenger Policy at Facebook

The IT Security Guru’s Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards aims to shed a light on the remarkable women in our industry. The following is a feature on just one of the many phenomenal women put forward for the 2021 awards. Presented in a Q&A format, the nominee’s answers are written in their own words with minor edits made by the editor for readability.


This year, the awards are sponsored by KPMG and Beazley.


Gail Kent, Director of Messenger Policy at Facebook


What does your job role entail?


I lead a team that works with international stakeholders, including governments, privacy, security, human rights and safety advocates to deliver the best experience for Facebook Messenger and Instagram DM users around the world. We focus on the safety, security and privacy policies and features our users expect to protect them, and work with product teams to deliver these. We’re constantly evolving our approach, working with a wide variety of stakeholders to better understand and respond to an ever-changing threat landscape. 


How did you get into the cybersecurity industry?


I joined UK law enforcement straight out of university, and in my first job was pulled into discussions about encryption, and its use to protect data. I then went on to focus on the impact of changing technology on law enforcement, including emerging cyber crimes like hacking. 


What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a woman in the tech/cyber industry and how did you overcome it?


I think it took the industry a long time to see tech/cyber through the lens of the people that use the ..

Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.