South Korea has taken decisive action against the AI application DeepSeek, temporarily blocking its download on official devices due to significant security concerns. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, alongside the police and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, spearheaded this move. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has issued a notice advising users to refrain from entering personal data into DeepSeek until a final decision is made. This development marks a critical moment for DeepSeek, which was launched in South Korea in late January.
The PIPC's evaluation uncovered issues with DeepSeek's third-party service and privacy policies. These findings prompted the temporary restriction, as South Korean officials aim to safeguard user data and privacy. The situation echoes actions taken by other nations, with Italy's data protection authority, Garante, instructing DeepSeek to block its chatbot in the country. Similarly, Taiwan and Australia have banned the use of DeepSeek AI in government departments due to comparable security concerns.
Founded by Liang Feng in 2023, DeepSeek gained attention with the release of DeepSeek R1, a free, open-source reasoning AI model competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Despite its innovative features, DeepSeek faces challenges adhering to international privacy standards. The company acknowledged its unfamiliarity with South Korea's privacy laws upon launching its services there. Moreover, it was revealed that DeepSeek transferred data of South Korean users to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, further complicating its position.
DeepSeek's local representative in South Korea is actively collaborating with authorities to address these issues. The company is committed to complying with South Korean privacy laws and making necessary changes to resume availability on app stores within the country. This cooperation signifies DeepSeek's willingness to adapt and rectify identified shortcomings in their operations.
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