South Korean authorities have temporarily suspended downloads of Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from local app stores. The move stems from concerns over how the Chinese company handles user data.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) is investigating DeepSeek’s data collection and processing practices. The agency found issues with the app’s third-party services and privacy policies.
Specifically, the investigation revealed that DeepSeek transferred South Korean user data to ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. In response, the PIPC advised users to avoid submitting personal information until its review is complete.
DeepSeek recently appointed a local representative and acknowledged its unfamiliarity with South Korea’s privacy laws. The company has pledged to cooperate with authorities and comply with regulations.
The restrictions on downloads will not affect existing DeepSeek app and web service users in South Korea. However, the data protection agency strongly recommends users exercise caution and withhold personal data input.
South Korea’s caution towards DeepSeek is not isolated. Other countries have also raised security and privacy concerns due to the app’s Chinese origins. Australia has banned DeepSeek on government devices, while Italy and Taiwan have imposed similar restrictions.
DeepSeek, founded in 2023 by Liang Feng, released DeepSeek R1 as a free, open-source reasoning AI model competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
