Professor Victoria Baines is a prominent online trust, safety, and cybersecurity expert. She has a rich background in the internet industry and international law enforcement, having served as Facebook’s Trust & Safety Manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In this role, she provided operational support to law enforcement and engaged with policymakers on online criminal activity. Before Facebook, she led the Strategy team at Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, where she was responsible for the EU’s cyber threat analysis and developed Europe’s flagship cybercrime threat assessment. Victoria began her career as a Higher Intelligence Analyst for Surrey Police and later worked as a Principal Analyst at the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Victoria is a Senior Research Fellow at the British Foreign Policy Group and a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University. She is also a Professor of Information Technology at Gresham College, where she delivers public lectures on technology and its implications for society. Her research interests include electronic surveillance, the future of cybercrime, and security politics. She has published extensively on these topics, including her book, Rhetoric of Insecurity, which explores the language of security over the past 2000 years.
In addition to her academic work, Victoria contributes to major media outlets, including the BBC and Sky News, discussing digital ethics and the misuse of emerging technologies. She co-hosts the Cyber Warrior Princess podcast, aimed at making cybersecurity accessible to a broader audience. Victoria serves on several advisory boards, including those for Snapchat and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and is a Freeman of the City of London.
Victoria holds a degree from Trinity College, Oxford, and a doctorate from the University of Nottingham. She has been recognised as one of the top 25 women in cybersecurity and continues to influence the field through her research and public engagement. Contact the PepTalk team today for fee information and a speaker availability check.
Victoria Baines explores the often exaggerated portrayals of cyber threats, such as faceless hackers and rogue technology. She examines their real impact on personal safety and organisational security. Baines advocates for empowering individuals to safeguard themselves and addresses the human aspects of cybersecurity. Attendees will learn how to rethink security narratives and adopt innovative approaches to enhance personal and organisational protection against cyber threats.
Victoria Baines will discuss the implications of end-to-end encryption in her talk on cyber crime and cyber threats. As messaging apps increasingly adopt this protocol, messages remain unreadable in transit, posing challenges for governments seeking access for criminal investigations. Baines will explore the ongoing debate surrounding online surveillance and privacy, highlighting how some governments exploit workarounds to access encrypted communications. Attendees will gain insights into the future of digital privacy and the balance between security and individual rights.
Victoria Baines invites attendees to embark on a journey through the future of technology, exploring how innovations like Artificial Intelligence, extended reality, and quantum computing will shape our lives over the next fifty years. By drawing on science fiction techniques, she will discuss the convergence of these technologies, the opportunities and challenges they present, and the importance of embracing disruption. Participants will gain insights into the future of jobs, healthcare, and governance in an increasingly digital world.
Victoria Baines examines how the global Internet challenges state sovereignty over citizens' access to information and expression. She discusses the ways governments restrict internet access for political and security reasons, despite much of the infrastructure being beyond their control. Attendees will gain insights into the dynamics of online regulation and the future of digital interactions in an increasingly interconnected world.
Victoria Baines will discuss how the public health framework used during the COVID pandemic can be applied to enhance online safety and security. She will draw parallels between the measures taken to combat physical viruses—such as handwashing and social distancing—and the need for similar strategies to protect against digital threats. Attendees will learn innovative approaches to safeguarding themselves and others in the online realm, fostering a culture of digital hygiene.
