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The South Korean government has temporarily suspended the local service of China’s artificial intelligence app, DeepSeek, due to concerns over its data collection practices.
The Personal Information Protection Commission reported that the service was halted at 10:00 AM on Saturday (7:00 PM on Friday in Italy) and will only be reinstated after improvements are made to ensure the protection of personal information, in line with the laws on data protection in Seoul. The suspension was ordered after several ministries and government agencies banned access to DeepSeek due to privacy concerns.
The DeepSeek app, a popular chatbot developed by a Chinese startup, can match the functionality of its Western competitors, such as those from the US, at a fraction of the cost. However, several countries have questioned the data archiving practices of DeepSeek, which claims to store user data in “secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.”
Last month, Seoul launched a formal investigation into DeepSeek, requesting clarifications on the app’s data collection and management methods. The Chinese startup has since designated a representative in South Korea and acknowledged the need to adapt to local laws on data protection, expressing its willingness to cooperate to find a solution.
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