"Security is a UX Problem, Not a Tech Problem" — Amanda McGlothlin [Interview]

The 2020 #Noonies are here,and they are both much greener and much bigger than last year. Among the 2,000+ deserving humans nominated across 5 categories for over 200 award titles, we discovered Amanda McGlothlin from the United States, who’s has been nominated for a 2020 #Noonie in the Future Heroes and Technology categories. Without further ado, we present to you, our big techy world, from the perspective of Amanda .

1. Which 2020 Noonie have you been nominated for?

Security Advocate of the Year

2. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I come from a User Experience background and am a co-founder of HQ.

3. Tell us about the things you make / write / manage / build.

I am focused on making security easier – generally through building software products and consulting with our customers. I think the best security is the one that users will actually use.

4. What are you most excited about right now?

Right now, the way most people work has seen a huge shift. We've been tracking the "work from home" trend for a long time, and it is interesting to help companies and builders use this moment to change how they think about collaboration and security.

5. What are you worried about right now?

I see a big divide in the global conversation between "us" and "them". By focusing on this, we are missing a huge opportunity to advance equality in society. Change comes from individuals, and so I want more people to have access to the tools they change the world as they see fit.

6. What's the most useful advice you've ever given somebody?

I am not sure I can answer that one, will have to ask those somebodys

7. How has the pandemic changed your life and/or career?

The pandemic has been a great reminder that things can change very quickly, and the more flexible you can be, the less painful it is. Keep planning, but don't be afraid to shift with reality. It's also a great reminder to take care of yourself and loved ones.

8. If we gave you $10 million to invest in one thing right now, where would you put it?

Ah, that would make our roadmap go so quickly!

9 . What's an opinion you have that most people don't agree with?

Security is a UX problem, not a technology problem.

10. Which apps can't you live without?

• Element (was previously called Riot, a comms tool)

11. What are you currently learning?

How consumer privacy laws are affecting security and privacy best practices, best practices for privacy-first apps, devops (running and managing a web server), working on a CSS framework, sustainable farming and building practices, yeast! (sourdough, kombucha)

For much the same reasons Hacker Noon decided not to put good ideas behind pop-ups or paywalls — nor abuse your personal data to target you with creepy ads — we also decided that you don’t have to be a #thinkfluencer or have 50k followers on Twitter to earn the recognition that comes with a 2020 Noonie Nomination. 

NOONIES NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN ACROSS 5 CATEGORIES — technology, decentralization, software development, future heroes, and back to the internet, Blockchain — UNTIL AUGUST 12, 2020Make somebody’s day and nominate them to be recognized in the internet’s most independent and community-driven awards: NOONIES.TECH!