South Korea halts downloads of Chinese AI app DeepSeek over data privacy concerns

South Korea has temporarily stopped new downloads of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek due to concerns about its handling of personal data, as announced by the country’s data protection agency on Monday. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) revealed that DeepSeek had acknowledged not fully adhering to some of South Korea’s data privacy regulations. The ban, effective from Saturday, will continue until the app makes necessary changes to comply with the country's privacy laws. However, DeepSeek’s web service remains accessible in South Korea.

Last week, the Chinese startup appointed legal representatives in South Korea and admitted it had not fully considered the country's data protection laws, according to the PIPC. This is not the first instance of DeepSeek facing privacy issues. Last month, Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, ordered the company to block its chatbot in Italy after it failed to resolve concerns regarding its privacy policy.

According to a report by Reuters, when questioned about South Korea’s restrictions on DeepSeek, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry stated on 6 February that China takes data privacy and security seriously, adding that the Chinese government does not request companies or individuals to collect or store data illegally.