Professor Victoria Baines (Fe. 1990-95) is a specialist in cybersecurity, digital harms and digital diplomacy. She provides research expertise to a range of international organisations, including Oxford University and Facebook.
Victoria's work explores online trust and safety, cybercrime, digital ethics, and the social and political impacts of information technology. Combining academic research, public lectures, media commentary and advisory roles, she helps demystify technology and shape how society understands - and governs - the digital world. A Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Victoria has published widely in academic journals and is the author of The Rhetoric of Insecurity: The Language of Danger, Fear and Safety in National and International Contexts, which examines how cyber threats are communicated to citizens and businesses.
This week, as we mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, that expertise was on display when Victoria joined BBC Radio 4’s Sliced Bread, hosted by Greg Foot, to tackle a deceptively simple question: "Do we need VPNs?"
In a lively discussion with Greg and a well-informed listener, she cut through the marketing hype surrounding Virtual Private Networks - one of the most heavily promoted digital “must-haves” of recent years - offering clear, evidence-based insight into what VPNs do, what they don’t, and who might genuinely benefit from using one.
Reflecting on the experience, Victoria said: “I had an absolute blast speaking with Greg Foot and (very well informed) listener Andrew on BBC Radio 4's Sliced Bread. The subject? VPNs: what they do, what they don't, who really needs them, and for what. Huge thanks to Greg, Simon Hoban, and Phil S. for having me on, and Andy Twelves and James Woodward for trusting me once again to represent BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Hope you enjoy the episode!”
Victoria once again demonstrated the value of informed, accessible science communication. At a time when digital tools are embedded in everyday life, helping the public distinguish between genuine security needs and persuasive marketing is an increasingly important task.
If you missed the episode, you can listen to Victoria on BBC Radio 4's Sliced Bread here on BBC Sounds.