New Downloads of DeepSeek Suspended in South Korea, Data Protection Agency Says
- tech360.tv
- Feb 18
- 1 min read
South Korea's data protection authority has taken action against the Chinese AI app DeepSeek. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced on Monday that new downloads of DeepSeek have been suspended in the country. This decision was made after DeepSeek admitted to not complying with the agency's rules regarding personal data protection.
The PIPC stated that the app's service will only resume once necessary improvements are implemented to align with South Korea's privacy laws. The recent measure, effective since Saturday, is specifically aimed at preventing new downloads of the app, while the web service of DeepSeek remains accessible in the country.
Last week, the Chinese startup appointed legal representatives in South Korea and acknowledged overlooking certain aspects of the country's data protection regulations, as highlighted by the PIPC. This move follows a similar incident in Italy, where DeepSeek was instructed by the Garante, Italy's data protection authority, to block its chatbot due to privacy policy concerns.
Despite these developments, DeepSeek has not provided any immediate comments in response to the recent actions taken by the authorities. When questioned about previous attempts by South Korean government departments to restrict DeepSeek, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson emphasised China's commitment to data privacy and security, ensuring compliance with the law.
The spokesperson further reassured that Beijing upholds data protection laws and would never endorse any entity or individual to collect or store data in violation of legal requirements.
South Korea suspends new downloads of DeepSeek app
DeepSeek to make improvements to comply with privacy laws
Chinese government emphasises commitment to data privacy and security
Source: REUTERS