Margarita Z. Franklin
Lead author of Meta’s threat reports on covert influence operations, cyber espionage, and spyware
As Meta’s Security Director for Public Affairs, Margarita built and ran the tech industry’s first threat reporting framework for covert influence operations, co-authoring threat intelligence analysis on over 200 takedowns of foreign interference and domestic influence campaigns globally. She expanded Meta’s threat reporting to analyze and expose cyber espionage, spyware, and other threats targeting Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. She recently joined WhatsApp to lead global policy communications. Prior to Meta, Margarita served as head of policy and communications at Wickr, an end-to-end encrypted communications platform, and a researcher focused on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She also helped run r00tz Asylum, the world’s largest hacker summit for kids at DefCon.