On Saturday, South Korean authorities enacted a temporary ban on the DeepSeek app from Chinese AI Lab DeepSeek, suspending its download availability on local app stores while they evaluate the company’s management of user data.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced that the app will be accessible for download once it aligns with South Korean privacy regulations and implements the required modifications.
These restrictions will not impede the use of the app or its web service for current users in South Korea. However, the data protection agency has strongly recommended that existing users refrain from inputting any personal data into DeepSeek until a final decision is reached.
After DeepSeek’s launch in South Korea in late January, the PIPC contacted the company to understand its methods for collecting and using personal information. During their assessment, they identified problems with DeepSeek’s third-party services and privacy protocols.
The PIPC confirmed to TechCrunch that its investigation revealed DeepSeek had shared data from South Korean users with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company.
DeepSeek has yet to respond to inquiries for clarification.
The agency noted that DeepSeek had recently designated a local representative in South Korea and admitted to lacking knowledge about the country’s privacy laws at the time of its service launch. The Chinese company stated last Friday that it intends to work closely with South Korean authorities.
Earlier this month, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, along with law enforcement and the state-owned Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power company, temporarily restricted access to DeepSeek on official devices, citing security concerns.
South Korea isn’t the only nation exercising caution regarding DeepSeek due to its Chinese origins. Australia has barred the app from use on government devices over security issues. Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, has prohibited DeepSeek from operating its chatbot in the country, while Taiwanese authorities have forbidden government departments from using the app.
Founded in 2023 by Liang Feng, DeepSeek is based in Hangzhou and has launched the DeepSeek R1, a free and open-source reasoning AI model that rivals OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
Fanpage: TechArena.au
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