Background

Camille Stewart Gloster is a self-described “attorney,” “strategist,” “advocate,” and “technophile.” She graduated from Miami University’s Farmer School of Business with a B.S. degree in 2008, and later obtained a J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Stewart Gloster has spent her professional career working primarily in the Washington, D.C. area. According to her official biography, she is “an attorney and executive whose crosscutting perspective on complex technology, cyber, and national security, and foreign policy issues has landed her in significant roles at leading government and private sector companies like the Department of Homeland Security, Deloitte, and Google.”  She also “builds global cybersecurity, privacy, and election security/integrity programs in complex environments for large companies and government agencies.”

Aiming to Address “Systemic Racism in Cybersecurity”

Stewart Gloster’s official biography further states that she is “committed to empowering others in and through tech by elevating and working to solve the complex challenges at the intersection of tech, security, society, and law.” Devoted to “leading change for the public good,” she has helped lead initiatives such as #ShareTheMicInCyber (a movement aimed at “addressing issues stemming from systemic racism in cybersecurity”) and Next Generation National Security (“a call to action for the national security and foreign policy apparatus, across all sectors, to prioritize diversity and inclusion in its personnel and agenda”).

Various Jobs from 2010-2022

Stewart Gloster’s most notable job titles to date have included: Legal Fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives for Reps. Marcia Fudge and Emanuel Cleaver (2010-2011); Senior Manager in the Legal Affairs Department at Cyveillance, Inc., a security services company based in Reston, Virginia (2011-2015); Founder and Principal Consultant with MarqueLaw, PLLC; Inaugural Fellow with the Internet Law & Policy Foundry, a collaborative group of Internet law and policy professionals (2015-16); Senior Policy Advisor on International Cyber and Critical Infrastructure for the Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security (2015-2017); Security Fellow at the Democratic Party–affiliated Truman National Security Project (2016-present); Manager for Cyber Risk at the Deloitte business consulting firm (2017-2018); Fellow at New America (formerly the New America Foundation, 2018-2022); Program Lead at Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab (2018-2022); Cyber Fellow at Harvard University (2020-2022); Head of Security Policy for Google Play and Android (2019-2021); and Global Head for Product Security Strategy at Google (2021-2022).

Board Member of Various Organizations

In addition to the aforementioned positions, Stewart Gloster has served on the Board of Directors of organizations like: (a) GirlSecurity (dedicated to “build pathways for girls, women, and gender minorities to lead solutions to our most pressing security challenges, shaped by their unparalleled lived experiences”); and (b) the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (which pursues “innovative ways in which technology and data can positively serve elections and democracy”). She also has sat on the Advisory Board of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) — a self-described “platform devoted to women of color that cultivates a strong voice and network for its members while encouraging dialogue and strategies for engaging in policy discussions on an international scale.” In 2022, WCAPS produced a 34-page pamphlet titled, Recognizing, Understanding, and Defining Systemic and Individual White Supremacy.

“Systemic Racism Is a Cybersecurity Threat”

In June 2020, Stewart Gloster published, for the Council on Foreign Relations, an opinion piece titled, “Systemic Racism Is a Cybersecurity Threat.” Some key excerpts:

• “Technical and policy mitigations in cybersecurity need to account for the weaknesses of our society, systems, and institutions in their implementations. The places where democracy breaks down and the ugliness of our past sins are laid bare and unaddressed are where we are most vulnerable. Technical and policy mitigations to cybersecurity challenges will never reach their full potential until systemic racism is addressed and diverse voices are reflected among our ranks at all levels.”
• “The spread of disinformation that capitalizes on racial tensions in the United States, by both foreign and domestic actors, is an important but classic reminder of the need to address race. The narratives of the disenfranchised are the best tool and target for disinformation operations designed to incite the majority and further alienate minority groups. Crucially, exploiting the narratives of disenfranchised groups, especially Black Americans, is a powerful tactic used to radicalize minorities, one we have seen Iran and other countries use. Addressing inequality and systemic racism reduces if not eliminates the efficacy of this tactic.”
• “Cyber diplomacy and international cyber capacity building are better served by having diverse representation that understands the cultural nuances that determine how technology will move through a society.”
• “Racism breeds distrust in systems and institutions. This undermines initiatives that require broad civic engagement, such as public health awareness campaigns, voter turnout, and counterterror efforts such as ‘see something, say something.’ Technology can often exacerbate this problem, even unintentionally, and further engrain systemic racism into our institutions and organizations. For example, racial bias in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CPB) facial recognition technology has further diminished trust in the agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its parent organization, which has an expanding cybersecurity mission.”
• “Cybersecurity professionals also need to understand how communities of color are disproportionately affected by cyberattacks that target critical infrastructure. This is because emergency response capabilities, resilience to climate change, and public health security are comparatively lower in minority and low-income communities.”
• “The lack of diversity in the cybersecurity industry at all levels exacerbates these challenges by making the United States less equipped to identify and address threats, innovate, and meaningfully cooperate with partners. We also have a shortage of cybersecurity practitioners. Engaging diverse communities and fostering their voice and growth in the cyber field would help address this problem.”
• “The cybersecurity industry needs to create a pipeline for diverse talent representative of the lived experiences of all Americans. Cybersecurity practitioners also need to educate themselves on systemic racism and other forms of hatred, make room for diverse and new perspectives in the industry, and apply this understanding to technology and policy development and application.”
• “Just as the burden cannot be carried by Black Americans in lobbying and protesting, the burden of dismantling systemic racism requires practitioners of every race, sector, and discipline. We need to find ways to build anti-racism and diversity into technology policy, software development, and cybersecurity tool deployment, similar to how diversity and inclusion are now being built into product development.”
• “Understanding how systemic racism intersects with and influences cybersecurity is integral to protecting the American people, deterring our adversaries, and defending American businesses as we seek to return to our position of international leadership.”

Biden Administration’s Deputy National Cyber Director for Technology and Ecosystem Security

On July 25, 2022, the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) announced that Stewart Gloster had been selected to join the Biden–Harris administration as Deputy National Cyber Director for Technology and Ecosystem Security. According to the White House, she would “lead ONCD’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the security and development of our Nation’s cyber ecosystem — across people, processes, and technology.” National Cyber Director Chris Inglis identified Stewart Gloster as someone who would pursue the administration’s “key priorities, including promoting the resilience of our software and hardware supply chain, building a more diverse cyber workforce, and strengthening cyber education for all Americans.”

Notable Op-Eds & Articles

For more insight into Stewart Gloster’s leftist activism, refer to her official publications page. Below are some of her op-eds and articles which are archived on that page, along with some key excerpts from each piece:

(1) “Addressing Systemic Racism in America Is Integral to Combating Disinformation and Preserving Our Democracy,” Truman Project Blog, June 26, 2020:

“The #blacklivesmatter [Black Lives Matter] movement is a rallying cry for the fight against antiblack racism and police brutality, but is quickly becoming the greatest asset in our adversaries’ information warfare toolkit.

“Bad foreign and domestic actors are seizing on worldwide protests and unrest following George Floyd’s murder to further sow division. As the 2020 election approaches, the weaponization of racial tensions in the U.S. will continue to exacerbate existing domestic divisions and continue to erode our position on the world stage. […]

“While leveraging racial narratives to promote voter suppression and advance polarization in America is not new, this escalation of tensions is ripe for manipulation and likely to escalate violence and affect civic engagement through voter suppression. The voice of the disenfranchised is the best tool and target for mis- and dis- information. When coupled with a violent police response, rage — once at a slow boil — is now hitting a fever pitch, and a national leader who many consider racist and divisive, we are poised to experience rampant mis- & dis- information about the [Black Lives Matter] movement, the perspectives of Black Americans, and the responses of nonblack Americans that can tear this nation at the seams. Bad actors using the narrative to manipulate American sentiment is bound to impact an already polarizing election. […]

“As a black woman who works on cybersecurity and disinformation both in the national security sector and in the private sector, I continue to watch the potency of weaponizing race and the manipulation of the voice of the disenfranchised be overlooked and underestimated. We haven’t done enough to address the root cause.

“Racism is inarguably a national security issue, fighting racism and promoting diversity is a business imperative, and actively dismantling systemic racism is the solution we must all coalesce around.

“Few would say unrest in the U.S. fueled by racial tension does not serve the interests of our adversaries, politically and economically, especially after the 2016 election. […]

“As we seek to have a free and fair election in 2020 we cannot ignore the role race will play in the policy agenda, in political narratives and, most relevant, in the tactics used by adversaries, foreign and domestic, to promote voter suppression, polarization and distrust in our democracy. As leaders we need to name the problem, racism and bigotry. We must do the work through congressional hearings, studies, and research to understand how race impacts current systems and institutions, how those institutions support and promote systemic racism, and how we can mitigate its effects in the interim. The most important step is to reimagine new systems and implement protections that address inequality and inequity. […]

“Bigotry, xenophobia, systemic inequality, inequity, institutional oppression, micro and macro aggressions and the many other manifestations of institutional racism and hate must be met with our loud and ardent rebuke and our ACTION. […]

“We must reimagine systems and institutions that live up to the ideals of our founders, we must protect our elections — free and fair elections are integral to representative democracy — and we must address information operations by naming and addressing the root cause, racism and bigotry.”

(2) “Taking Steps to Break down Systemic Racism in Cybersecurity,” CyberScoop, July 14, 2020, co-authored with Lauren Zabierek:

“Racism, like cybersecurity, is a national security issue. Systemic racism prevents diverse perspectives from informing policy and security. As a result, it hampers our ability to understand and combat misinformation and to address our society’s vulnerabilities so as to prevent our adversaries from exploiting them.

“Systemic racism also blinds us from seeing and leveraging the diverse experiences before us, undermining our ability to understand how all communities use technology and to ensure different voices are welcomed, heard, and protected in our national security institutions. We all have a role to play in the security of our nation, and there are so many institutional, systemic, and overt racial biases that make this problem so complex. So how do we start to dismantle them?

“We must start by acknowledging that these problems exist in our industry and begin taking tangible steps to educate ourselves on the impact of slavery and systemic racism on the lives of Black Americans and all BIPOCs. […] Start with yourself: Invest time in acquainting yourself with the vast literature on systemic racism.”

(3) “Building a More Secure Nation Starts with Girls of Color,” TheHill.com, October 27, 2020, co-authored with Lauren Bean Buttia:

“Realizing a legacy of racism in America and its national security institutions is not a broad-handed indictment of its history so much as it is a diagnosis of ailments that continue to prevent America from reaching its required potential. As the recently declassified Nixon tapes reveal, racism and misogyny have done as much to shape the world order as they have America’s national security history. From President Woodrow Wilson’s racist assertions — including referring to African Americans as an “ignorant and inferior race” — to investigating civil rights leader Martin Luther King as a threat to national security, to President Trump’s unwillingness to denounce white supremacy in the first presidential debate, our national security apparatus and strategy was and is informed by racism.

“Systemic racism manifests itself in how we select allies and make investments in predominantly Black and Brown countries, how our response to national security threats from nations like China or Iran translates to the treatment of Americans from those diasporas, how the current [Trump] administration is advancing bans on people including banning students of color from predominantly Black countries and the lack of diversity among national security leadership.

“All of the existential challenges of our era are exacerbated by racism and racial tensions and made worse by the weaponization of social issues.

“While important progress has been made with respect to broadening a public discourse about the need to build a national security workforce that reflects the diversity of its citizens, President Trump’s ideology and his policies risk undercutting important gains made to address the effects of systemic racism and sexism that undoubtedly ensure that America’s greatest national security asset — its diverse citizenry — thrives amid a rapidly changing security environment.

“Empowering and giving voice to women and girls of color will be essential to reimagining and building a futureproof national security workforce able to confront the ways in which systemic racism impedes our ability to effectively secure our homeland and engage on the world stage.

“At the intersection of race and gender, girls of color often find themselves isolated, unheard and advancing change unrecognized. […] Women of color continue to fight for recognition of their leadership in modern-day policy and politics. […]

“Our adversaries have recognized that systemic racism, sexism, and bigotry as a whole are our Achilles heel. They are weaponizing our racial tensions and targeting disenfranchised groups to attack us.”