67/68 Wednesday, February 19, 2025
South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has announced a temporary suspension of downloads for the Chinese AI chatbot app DeepSeek starting February 15, 2025. The suspension will remain in place until the app provider ensures compliance with the country’s data protection regulations. However, the DeepSeek website remains accessible and operational.
Regulators stated that they had been monitoring DeepSeek since its launch and identified concerns related to communication functions and data processing policies that do not align with South Korea’s privacy regulations. PIPC revealed that while DeepSeek recently appointed a representative in South Korea, the company failed to properly consider the country’s privacy laws before launching its services. As a result, the app has been removed from local app marketplaces until necessary adjustments are made. PIPC has also advised existing users to refrain from entering personal data into the app until further notice. Additionally, the commission plans to strengthen its guidelines to prevent future data breaches.
This measure follows a recent warning from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) regarding excessive collection of personal data by DeepSeek for AI training purposes. Reports have also surfaced about security vulnerabilities in the DeepSeek app on both Android and iOS, which could potentially lead to unencrypted data transmission to external servers. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has maintained that all internet companies operating in China must comply with legal data regulations and will not be forced to collect data unlawfully.
Source https://thehackernews.com/2025/02/south-korea-suspends-deepseek-ai.html
