South Korea Suspended DeepSeek Due To Data Privacy Concern

On Monday, South Korea's data protection authority suspended the new download of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek in the country after DeepSeek acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency's rules on protecting personal data.

However, the chatbot is still available for those who have already downloaded it.

According to the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), the service of the app will resume once improvements are made by the country's privacy law. The latest announcement came just weeks after multiple government ministries and agencies blocked internal access to the AI services.

Meanwhile, South Korea issued an official inquiry to DeepSeek last month, requesting clarification on the service's data collection and management procedures. In response to the concerns, DeepSeek appointed a representative in South Korea and admitted to failing to comply with the country's data privacy regulations. The corporation stated that it will actively work with the commission and the authorities throughout the process.

Furthermore, South Korea is not the only country that has taken the move against the Chinese app; Austria, Italy, and Taiwan have all barred access to DeepSeek.