South Korea Bans New Downloads of Chinese AI DeepSeek Amid Privacy Concerns- wna24
Seoul: South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, according to the country’s data protection authority.
The government agency stated that the AI model will become available again to South Korean users once “improvements and remedies” are made to ensure compliance with the country’s personal data protection laws. According to a Reuters report, DeepSeek acknowledged failing to fully consider some of the agency’s rules on protecting personal data.
The report further stated that the service of the app will resume only after improvements are made in accordance with the country’s privacy law, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC).
The DeepSeek app became unavailable on Apple ‘s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening, according to South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission.
The Chinese startup appointed legal representatives in South Korea last week and acknowledged partially neglecting the country’s data protection law, the PIPC said.
However, DeepSeek’s web service remains accessible in the country.
Despite the growing popularity of the Chinese AI chatbot worldwide, it has also faced restrictions in several countries over privacy and national security concerns.
Several other countries, including Australia, Italy, and Taiwan, have already banned the app due to similar data security concerns.
Australia was the first country to ban DeepSeek from all government systems and devices after a national intelligence assessment found the app posed a serious security risk.
Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, said last month it had ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot in the country after failing to address the regulator’s concerns over its privacy policy.
Taiwan has also banned the AI app in all public sector organizations, public schools, and state-owned enterprises due to fears of cross-border data transmission.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland has also launched an investigation into the handling practices of the Chinese startup. Meanwhile, in the U.S., several federal agencies have advised employees against using the app.