At Be Found Be Chosen, we are often asked why we choose not to outsource our social media or PPC management to freelancers. The short answer is this: cybersecurity. In a digital landscape where data breaches, account hijacking, and platform hacks can cost companies thousands—if not millions—we believe it’s too risky to entrust your paid media or brand presence to individuals operating outside a secure, insurable agency environment.

Freelancers can be a Cybersecurity Risk

Freelancers, by their very nature, work independently. This often means:

  • No internal security policies
  • No enterprise-level firewall or endpoint protection
  • No secure password storage protocols
  • Use of public Wi-Fi or unencrypted personal devices
  • No insurance beyond the basic cover 

While many freelancers are well-intentioned and talented, cybersecurity hygiene varies widely. A 2022 Upwork study found that 63% of freelancers use their personal laptop for client work, and only 18% use VPNs consistently. This leaves sensitive credentials, ad accounts, and campaign data vulnerable to cyberattacks.

 

Real-World Examples of the Risks

It’s not just theoretical.

  • In 2020, the Twitter Bitcoin Hack—where verified accounts including Elon Musk, Barack Obama, and Apple were compromised—was caused by social engineering freelancers working remotely for Twitter’s contractors.
  • A 2021 report by IBM showed that human error remains the leading cause of security breaches (95% of cases), and freelancers are statistically more likely to make such mistakes due to a lack of training or oversight.
  • In 2023, a UK-based e-commerce brand reported a loss of £75,000 in revenue after a freelance PPC manager mistakenly linked the wrong tracking code to a Google Ads account, sending conversions to a competitor’s domain. The issue went unnoticed for weeks due to lack of internal auditing.

 

Insurance: Freelancers Can’t Afford to Be Wrong

At Be Found Be Chosen, we hold high-level cyber liability insurance. This includes:

  • Client data breach coverage
  • Third-party network damage
  • Regulatory penalty protection
  • Legal defence costs

Freelancers typically do not carry this level of protection, if any at all. In the UK, comprehensive cyber insurance can cost thousands annually, especially when it covers client-side damages. Most freelancers simply can’t afford it—and that leaves your business exposed.

 

Why Brands Need Agency-Level Protection

When you work with an agency like Be Found Be Chosen, you’re not just hiring talent. You’re buying:

  • A secure tech stack
  • Internal QA and compliance
  • Encrypted credential management
  • Professional indemnity and cyber insurance
  • Multi-person redundancy and monitoring

We’ve built our systems and team with the assumption that one weak link can jeopardize a brand’s entire digital footprint. Freelancers, by design, are a single point of failure.

 

Marketing today is more than creativity—it’s about risk mitigation. Freelancers play a vital role in the industry, but when it comes to managing ad spend, login credentials, and sensitive client data, the stakes are too high.

We’ve made the deliberate choice to keep our media management in-house, not out of elitism, but out of responsibility—to our clients, our reputation, and our values.

If you’re a brand that wants performance without compromise, security without uncertainty—then we’re the team for you.

Be Found. Be Safe. Be Chosen.