Web Avengers: Hemanshu Nigam
June 20, 2011— -- Hemanshu (Hemu) Nigam is the founder of SSP Blue, the leading advisory firm for online safety, security and privacy challenges facing corporations and governments. A veteran of online security, he brings over 20 years of experience in private industry, government and law enforcement. He has been called upon by institutions from the United Nations to The White House to provide counsel on the world's most critical online protection challenges, and has been featured as an expert by the BBC, BusinessWeek, CNN, Financial Times, Fox News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the CBS Early Show.
From 2006 to 2010, Hemu was Chief Security Officer for News Corporation's numerous online properties, making him responsible for protecting the personal information of over 200 million users around the world. He has been credited with making MySpace safe and secure after launching initiatives like Sentinel SAFE, technology to identify and remove criminals from the social networking site. He also drove the launch of over 150 other safety, security and privacy protection features for MySpace, and played a key role in an accord between MySpace and 49 State Attorneys General to develop key principles of social networking safety.
From 2002 to 2006, Hemu worked for Microsoft, where he led a global initiative to build safety standards into products across the company, from Xbox to MSN to Windows. He also implemented a virus enforcement strategy and collaborated with the U.S. Secret Service, Interpol and the FBI to develop Microsoft's landmark Anti-Virus Reward Program. The program is credited with toppling one of the world's most notorious virus creators in 2005. From 2000 to 2002, Hemu was Vice President of Worldwide Internet Enforcement at the Motion Picture Association of America, where he spearheaded a global effort to combat online movie piracy for the major Hollywood studios. During his tenure, Hemu implemented anti-piracy technology that allowed the MPAA to eliminate more than 100,000 illegal movie websites in one year.
From 1997 to 2000, Hemu held simultaneous roles in the federal government, serving as a federal prosecutor against child and computer crimes for the U.S. Department of Justice, advisor to a Congressional commission on child safety, and advisor to The White House on cyberstalking. In addition to prosecuting Internet predators, Hemu was behind the prosecution of 17 foreign nationals engaged in the trafficking of women and children into the United States. Hemu began his career as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County from 1990 to 1997, specializing in prosecuting sexual assault and child abuse. During his tenure, Hemu handled over 1,000 criminal matters and was a recurring lecturer at rape crisis centers across Los Angeles.
Hemu recently worked with Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the State Attorneys General to develop widely used online safety standards. He currently serves as co-chair of President Obama's Online Safety Technology Working Group and sits on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
He earned his juris doctorate from Boston University School of Law and his bachelor's degree in government and political theory from Wesleyan University.