Online safety ‘getting worse’, warns former UK cyber security agency boss

The former head of the UK’s cyber security agency has called on social media firms to do more to keep girls and young women safe online as she warned over rising levels of misogyny and sexism.

Felicity Oswald, who was previously interim chief executive and before that chief operating officer at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said social media firms are not doing enough to protect girls and women, with many tech firms slashing budgets for online safety.

As the new chief executive of Girlguiding, she is urging tech companies to help stamp out misogyny and harmful content online, but also to ramp up efforts to hire women across their organisations and in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

She told the PA news agency: “I’ve worked really closely with technology companies based across the world, including social media companies, and I know many of their staff work tirelessly to keep their users safe.

“However, it’s not enough yet. The trends are getting worse rather than better.

“Technology companies across the world seem to be reducing the number of staff and the systems thinking about harmful content.”

In her 10-year year career at GCHQ – Britain’s intelligence, cyber and security agency – Ms Oswald said her experiences have partly been the motivation behind her career move in September to head up Girlguiding.

“I’ve seen some really awful things in in my career in national security,” she said.

“I’m motivated by so many of the same things in this job in terms of keeping people safe and championing how we can do that as a society.”

Champion change

She added: “It’s really clear that girls have a hard time online and we want to ensure that we’re using Girlguiding as a voice to really champion change as much as possible, both in terms of physical safety in the real world, but also online safety.”

A recent survey of more than 2,500 girls and young women by Girlguiding found that 26% of girls aged 13 to 18 have seen a sexualised deep fake of themselves, a friend or a celebrity.

Ms Oswald said: “That is shocking and I think society needs to wake up and listen to the girls’ voices saying that’s not OK.

“The numbers aren’t going to go down any time soon unless there’s real action.”

Girlguiding is currently gathering signatures for an open letter to deliver to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling on him to take action to keep girls safe from misogyny.

Technology firms

But it is a mission that Ms Oswald also wants to take to schools, technology firms and decision makers.

Helping to get young women involved in AI is a particular priority, according to Ms Oswald.

She said: “We know that over 70% of those working in the AI industry are men.

“So those AI tools aren’t going to necessarily be designed with women in mind and with girls’ safety in mind.

“It’s a systemic problem and we need to both ensure that we’ve got the regulation and the legislation to keep people safe, like the Online Safety Act, but we also need to ensure that technology being developed now has safety and security in mind.”

Ms Oswald is developing trials with schools to help reach girls and young women who may not have thought about Girlguiding as the association looks to reach more members and extend its reach on important issues, such as online safety.

Social media firms are also on her hit list to work closely with in her new role.

“We are absolutely wanting to engage every organisation in this movement.

“It’s early days for me. I think in time I will be asking for some conversations with decision makers in social media companies,” she said.

In her new role, she is also looking to double the reach of Girlguiding, which already has 300,000 members, within 10 years as well as transforming its tech capability.

“I think the strategy is absolutely spot on, but I also can help us get there with the tech,” she said.