Where Tech Giants Protect Privacy

[Commentary] The world’s seemingly insatiable appetite for all things tech has made many tech companies among the most profitable companies in the world. But selling these products has also placed them largely at odds with global privacy rules that go far beyond what American lawmakers currently demand at home.

While the tech companies often rely on lengthy (frequently incomprehensible) consent forms and First Amendment rights to protect themselves against claims of misuse of their users’ online information, that defense does not hold up in large parts of the world, including Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Argentina. That’s because the right to privacy -- given almost the same weight as freedom of expression -- is taken more seriously abroad, notably in Europe. Faced with the growing need to cater to a global audience -- and to contend with international regulators who have put privacy front and center -- American companies are being forced to comply with stricter protection standards that are frequently more onerous than those at home