With a degree in business, finance, and marketing management from Staffordshire University, Turner also leads the internal sales and marketing teams at Avast. But when he’s not at work, Turner loves to spend time with his family – especially on the holidays – and learn new things. When we asked him where he thinks the world is headed in regards to online censorship and freedom, Turner sees governments and, as a by-factor, big companies increasing censorship. His advice for maintaining online privacy: Be careful what you post on social media.
3. Jeremy Palmer
Vice President of Marketing at IPVanish Dr. Andy Yen received a Ph.D. in Particle Physics from Harvard University, but it wasn’t until much later at CERN, a center for scientific research, where he met and founded the Proton team. When he’s not working on ensuring security for Proton’s users, Dr. Yen likes to Alpine ski close to where he lives in Switzerland. He is also fascinated by Blockchain and likes to keep an eye on the latest developments. When asked about how he sees censorship progressing, Dr. Yen described that censorship is getting harder to bypass. “Unfortunately, due to the technological boundary conditions on the internet, it’s easier to block than to bypass, so in […] environments like China, we’re currently losing the arms race.” He believes that the world could benefit from more people working to solve this issue.
4. Matthias Pfau
Co-founder and CEO of Tutanota After studying Computer Science at the University of Utah, Jeremy Palmer never imagined going into marketing. But he found the perfect balance working for IPVanish. While he likes to hike, ride his bike, and spend time with his family outside of the office, inside of the office Jeremy is all about cybersecurity. When we spoke to him about censorship developments, he expressed how organizations and governments are increasing their efforts to limit digital freedoms, which is what’s causing the VPN industry to grow at such a rapid pace. Palmer is a firm believer that VPNs are the only way to really bypass censorship; he even listed it as his top piece of advice for maintaining online privacy.
5. Leon Schumacher
Co-founder of pEp Security SA Looking at the homepage of Tutanota, you wouldn’t think of Matthias Pfau as the CEO and co-founder. His profile, which explains that he writes code to fight mass surveillance, hints of his days at Hannover University in Germany where he studied Computer Science. Yet, after speaking with him about cybersecurity, it’s clear why he started Tutanota. “Over the last decade, the pressure to restrict privacy in favour of surveillance has increased,” he explained. “Therefore, everyone has to engage to protect our most essential rights[, and] the simplest way to do that is to start using services that protect your privacy.” As a firm believer of online privacy and security, Pfaus encourages everyone to “stop sharing data with people or companies you do not trust” and choose a reliable service that fits your needs.
6. Amit Bareket
CEO & Co-founder of Perimeter81 and SaferVPN With a background in IT and two degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management, it’s no surprise that Leon Schumacher has made a name for himself in the cybersecurity world. He’s a firm believer that we need to stand up for our rights for online privacy and take action before it’s too late. Part of this includes building technology that protects us but is also easy to use.
7. Ben Baumgartner
Co-Founder and CEO of IDVector Inc. After studying Computer Science and Economics, Amit was swept into the start-up world. In 2014, he co-founded SaferVPN, a popular VPN that allows thousands of users to access a more secure and less restricted internet. Three years later, he co-founded Perimeter81, a network and VPN company designed for small and medium businesses. When Amit is not working to provide unrestricted online access, he’s spending time with his family or doing extreme outdoor activities (which he loves). But you can always find him giving tips on how to stay secure online. His number one piece of advice? “Don’t browse on public WiFi without using a VPN!”
8. Mark Stevens
SVP of Global Services for Digital Guardian As an information security professional with a specialty in software development, Ben Baumgartner has had a lot of experience in the cybersecurity world. One thing he knows very well is the problem with free software. He understands that free tends to mean a compromise for the user, and he advises spending more money if it means better security.
9. Joseph Steinberg
CEO of SecureMySocial Mark Stevens has been with Digital Guardian for seven years. As the SVP, he is in contact with all of Digital Guardian’s customers. Stevens realizes that – just like attacks are inevitable – so too are breaches in privacy. However, with GDPR and other privacy restrictions, Stevens is happy to see that companies are being held accountable for customers’ sensitive data. Even so, he still recommends that everyone should be careful of what they share on social media.
10. Graeme Speak
Founder and CEO of BankVault.com In a previous interview with vpnMentor, Steinberg discussed how SecureMySocial can prevent oversharing, leaking sensitive information, and malware attacks. What makes this different from censorship is that it’s only suggestive. “Freedom of speech is an essential right, and it’s critical in order for issues to be properly discussed and analyzed,” he explained. “People should be warned of the potential consequences of their speech, but actually censoring them is problematic.” He encourages everyone to think about what they post online (and use technology to help them if they can).
11. Bruce Schneier
Special Advisor to IBM Security While you wouldn’t know it from his success in the cybersecurity world, Graeme Speak actually loves physics. He also loves to kitesurf, even though he claims that he’s terrified of the cold, wind, and sharks. Although he enjoys promoting a safe online environment and creating useful technology, Speak plans to return to the University of Western Australia and get a job in Astrophysics once he leaves the cybersecurity world.
12. Morey Haber
CTO of BeyondTrust If you look online for Bruce Schneier, you’re only going to find one real result – his blog. Other than that, it’s hard to track his digital footprint. This is because Schneier practices what he preaches. He won’t even answer what are his favorite things to do, since they sound like a security question. It’s clear Schneier knows that he’s talking about, and we can all learn from him.
13. Yaman Akdeniz
Cyber-Rights Activist and Professor of Law at Istanbul Bilgi University Although he loves to spend time with his family and kick back with some good scotch and a cigar, Morey Haber is constantly staying up to date on current security developments. From his 15 years at BeyondTrust, he knows that whatever you post online can be found later on.
14. Ondrej Krehel
Founder and CEO of LIFARS
15. Patrick de Schutter
Co-founder of Mailfence As a certified ethical hacker, it only makes sense that Ondrej Krehel would start a firm that is all about cybersecurity. If you ask him what is his favorite activity to do, he’ll respond with reverse engineering – a process that essentially breaks down a program or software in order to find vulnerabilities in the technology. If you ask him for some advice on cybersecurity, he’ll answer that you shouldn’t answer security questions truthfully. He suggests to “create a false persona; you want it to be something you can remember, but not tied to the truth. Odds are that a company is going to get hacked and this information [will be] exposed. By creating a false persona to answer these questions, you greatly protect your identity and privacy.” Although he studied Business and International Affairs, Patrick de Schutter is a big advocate for online privacy and believes it is a fundamental human right. He states in his bio: The debate is thus not about “security versus privacy” but rather obtaining “security with privacy”. Of course we need protection against security threats both internal and external. But if it is at the cost of continuous internal surveillance, we will end up in a police state and lose our democratic institutions. Patrick’s company, Mailfence, promotes that same idea by providing a secure and private email service. He hopes that more people will join the movement in the future.
