Gov-Linked “Fatima” Cybersecurity Career Advert Removed After Backlash

A campaign intended to attract more people to career opportunities in cybersecurity has come under heavy criticism and been removed after only a few hours.

A poster which showed a woman named “Fatima” dressed as a ballet dancer said her “next job could be in cyber – she just doesn’t know it yet” came under criticism after it was announced the UK government was encouraging those in performing arts to retrain for other careers.

Initially it was unclear as to who was behind the campaign, with it featuring the branding of DCMS and NCSC’s Cyber First campaign. Secretary of State for DCMS Oliver Dowden dismissed any involvement with the campaign, saying “this is not something from DCMS” and he agreed “it was crass.”

He explained the advert was from “a partner campaign encouraging people from all walks of life to think about a career in cybersecurity.” However, the campaign was outsourced to tech skills company QA, while a spokesperson for the NCSC confirmed the campaign was created by DCMS using the NCSC’s Cyber First course materials, which is aimed at children and students, to be repurposed for adults in this new campaign.

It was also revealed that the photo of “Fatima” was a stock image from a US photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. This was apparently one of a linked fatima cybersecurity career advert removed after backlash