Data Dilemma: South Korea Suspends Downloads of Chinese AI App DeepSeek
South Korea’s data protection agency announced on Monday that new downloads of the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app, DeepSeek, have been temporarily suspended. The company admitted that it had failed to comply with the country’s personal data protection regulations, according to a report by Reuters.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) stated in a press conference that the app would be reinstated once improvements in its service were ensured.
The suspension took effect on Saturday, preventing new downloads of the app. However, DeepSeek’s web services remain accessible in South Korea, the agency confirmed.
PIPC also disclosed that the Chinese startup has recently appointed a legal representative in South Korea and acknowledged its failure to fully comply with the country’s data protection laws.
Last month, Italy’s data protection authority, Garante, imposed restrictions on DeepSeek’s chatbot services after the company failed to address concerns regarding its privacy policies.
DeepSeek has not yet commented on the matter.
Earlier, following measures taken by various South Korean government offices regarding DeepSeek, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry stated on February 6 that "China highly values data security and privacy and upholds it in accordance with the law." He further emphasized that "Beijing has never instructed any organization or individual to collect or store information in violation of regulations."
