Long before TikTok, the clock Was ticking on standards for foreign-owned apps

COMMENTARY | If the U.S. lacks consistent standards for protecting user data, other nations can develop algorithms and technologies that advance their own interests.

If you have kids, or if you can remembe when you were one yourself, you may be familiar with the phrase, “My house, my rules.” It’s a tenet that many parents fall back on when establishing boundaries for their children and their children’s visitors in their home.

Like many lessons from childhood, this one can be applied to a very different situation — rules for foreign-based companies that provide applications and software to users in the U.S. Foreign nations or companies that provide these products or services to U.S. citizens must comply with U.S. standards governing issues, such as data ownership and algorithms. In other words, “Our house, our rules.”

This scenario has been brought to light most recently by the controversy ...