Disclaimer: This information was obtained from publicly available sources online and is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. Valimates collects this information with proprietary technology and cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the data. The purpose of the data is to inform the reader about the expertise of the individual and should not be used for any other purpose. Valimates does not have any affiliation with the individual.

Sean Mcgilvray
Sean Mcgilvray Lead Counsel, Product at Meta

Sean McGilvray is a highly skilled professional with a meticulous approach and extensive experience in building and streamlining trust and safety teams. With a background in software development, Sean has excelled in designing and implementing content moderation procedures and policies for user-generated content platforms and communities. Throughout their career, Sean has worked for renowned companies such as Meta, Block.one, Twitter, and Vimeo, where they have demonstrated their expertise in various roles and responsibilities.

As the Lead Counsel, Product at Meta, Sean has been instrumental in developing and optimizing trust and safety teams and procedures. They have successfully built and streamlined content moderation processes and policies, ensuring a safe and secure user experience on the platform. Sean's proven track record includes working with Legal, Product, and the user community to set policies and guidelines, implementing procedures to enforce content moderation policies, and sourcing automated solutions to enhance content moderation efficiency.

Moreover, Sean has demonstrated exceptional skills in managing relationships with vendors, training and leading internal content moderation staff, and maintaining knowledge of relevant regulations. They have also played a crucial role in analyzing industry trends and identifying areas for improved policy implementations. Additionally, Sean has been a valuable resource in handling global escalations for appeals and policy enforcement, which showcases their ability to handle high-pressure situations efficiently and confidently.

In their previous roles, Sean has shown their versatility and adaptability. They have excelled in managing cross-functional teams, designing new appeal processes, creating detailed process flows, and liaising with various stakeholders. Furthermore, Sean has proven their ability to assess and respond to government and law enforcement agency requests, assuage concerns of advertising partners, engage with regulators, and build alliances for coordinated responses.

Notably, Sean's educational background includes a J.D. from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco, and an M.A. Honours in International Relations from the University of Cape Town. These qualifications further enhance their legal and analytical skills, contributing to their excellence in the field.

Overall, Sean McGilvray possesses a remarkable set of skills, experiences, and achievements, making them an exceptional professional in the field of trust and safety. Their attention to detail, strategic mindset, and ability to handle complex situations make them a valuable asset to any organization.

More about this expert

Full name
Sean Mcgilvray
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Title
Lead Counsel, Product
Company
Meta (since 2022)
Industry
Software Development
LinkedIn Connections
897
Summary
Detail-oriented and meticulous professional experienced in building and streamlining trust & safety teams, end-to-end content moderation procedures, and policies for user-generated content platforms and communities.
Skills
Privacy Legal Compliance

Education

University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings)
J.D.
Attended in 2007 - 2010
Field of study: Law
University of Cape Town
M.A. Honours
Attended in 2003 - 2005
Field of study: International Relations

Positions

Meta
Apr 2022 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos
Lead Counsel, Product
Apr 2022 - Present

Detail-oriented and meticulous professional experienced in building and streamlining trust & safety teams, end-to-end content moderation procedures, and policies for user-generated content platforms and communities.
Meta
San Francisco Bay Area
Lead Counsel, Content
Feb 2020 - May 2022

I helped stand up the Oversight Board and provide ongoing legal support for content moderation oversight.
Block.one
Blacksburg, Virginia
Senior Trust and Safety Manager
Nov 2019 - Feb 2020

* Drafted and implemented bespoke Community Standards/Community Guidelines and content/user behavior sections within the Terms of Service for nascent platform for user-generated content.
* Worked with Legal, Product, and the user community to set policies and guidelines.
* Developed procedures to enforce content moderation policies, including appeals processes.
* Sourced tools (AI and other automated solutions) to assist in content moderation.
* Provided ongoing reporting on content moderation, both internally and externally.
* Provided relevant disclosures to regulators and/or law enforcement.
* Managed vendor relationships.
* Hired, trained, and managed internal content moderation staff.
* Maintained knowledge of relevant regulations and identified areas of improvement.
* Analyzed trends related to policy issues across the industry and identify areas for improved policy implementations.
* Served as the global escalation point for appeals and policy enforcement.
Twitter
San Francisco Bay Area
Senior Manager, Safety Enforcement Operations
May 2019 - Nov 2019

* Managed cross-functional, globally distributed team responsible for high-priority content moderation escalations.
* Designed new appeal process for image privacy content removals.
* Created detailed process flows for content moderators and reviewers.
Vimeo
New York, NY
Director of Legal Affairs and Trust and Safety
Feb 2018 - Apr 2019

* Directed diverse and globally distributed team of operations and policy professionals responsible for content moderation, compliance with legal privacy and intellectual property protection frameworks, and spam/fraud/account takeover mitigation.

* Developed, operationalized, and implemented content policies, procedures, and escalation paths.

* Identified relevant KPIs and implemented data-driven process improvements for Trust & Safety workflows, including moderation decision-making protocols and user complaint responses.

* Assessed and responded to domestic and international government and law enforcement agency requests and inquiries, including management of relationships with law enforcement agencies and watchdog groups from the United States and abroad.

* Acted as the final escalation point for all Policy, Community Guidelines, and Terms of Service-related decisions and complaints, providing swift yet thoughtful and nuanced guidance in time-sensitive situations.

* Managed vendor relationships for third-party analytics and operations platforms, including content abuse analytics providers and support ticketing systems.

* Identified and responded to emerging threats and trends in the areas of policy, content abuse, fraud, spam, and content moderation.

* Counseled internal stakeholders on matters relating to intellectual property, privacy, and speech-based regulatory frameworks (Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), E-Commerce Directive, NetzDG, etc.).

* Headed internal tools development team, taking moderation tools from early specs into final deliverable stage, including overseeing a total overhaul of the user flagging workflow and a complete refactor of existing copyright strike system.
Vimeo
Greater New York City Area
Staff Attorney, Trust & Safety
Feb 2016 - Feb 2018

Trust & Safety pro.

Builder of teams.

Writer of policies.

Basically, the Batman of user-generated content.

• Manage user-facing policy processes, including the training and performance evaluation of the Trust & Safety and Community Support teams for policy matters.
• Implemented and oversee data-driven process improvements for Trust & Safety complaint response workflows, identifying key metrics for maximizing the impact of each exchange with user.
• Act as the final escalation point for all Policy, Community Guidelines, and Terms of Service-related decisions, complaints, and user outreach.
• Liaise with Legal, Product, Business Development, Community Support, Communications, and Executive leadership teams to report and create consensus for high-priority, high-visibility, and high-sensitivity issues.
• Lead cross-functional project work groups to implement site-wide policy initiatives.
• Assess and respond to domestic and international government and law enforcement agency requests.
• Assuage advertising partner concerns regarding problematic content.
• Engage with regulators, industry-related working group; and policy organizations to articulate Vimeo’s core positions and goals while building intra-company alliances for coordinated response and knowledge sharing.
Vimeo
Feb 2018 - Apr 2019 · 1 yr 3 mos
Senior Manager, Trust & Safety
Feb 2015 - Feb 2016
Wikia
San Francisco Bay Area
Community Manager, Trust & Safety
Apr 2012 - Mar 2014

• Researched legal and policy developments in the internet technology arena.
• Generated and presented reports detailing developments in privacy, intellectual property, and other trust & safety concerns.
• Defined, refined, and enforced internal procedures for privacy, intellectual property, and Terms of Use issues.
• Provided legislative analysis and legal risk assessment, compiled compliance guidelines for applicable laws.
• Advised users and internal stakeholders via email, forums, blog posts, and chat on a variety of topics:
Community Guidelines
Terms of Use
Copyright and Trademark
Spam and Vandalism
Abuse and Harassment
Obscenity
Privacy, including COPPA
Defamation
• Supported entire wiki communities and helped them grow by delivering compliance help, risk assessment, disciplinary advice, and technical assistance.
• Communicated community needs to product management and development teams via bug reports and product feedback channels.
• Served as the initial point of contact for users.
• Troubleshot a multitude of problems, predicaments, panics, and puzzles.
• Rewrote the Terms of Use and drafted new Community Guidelines.