The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) stated that DeepSeek will be available for download again once it makes the necessary changes to comply with Korean laws. Users who have already downloaded the app can continue using it; however, the commission advises them not to enter personal information. The concern arises from how the company collects and processes user data.
Investigations have revealed that DeepSeek has transferred South Korean users' data to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. The company admitted that it was not fully aware of Korean regulations and has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the government.
Previously, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the police, and government agencies also restricted the use of DeepSeek on official devices. Other countries are also cautious about this application. The Australian government has banned its use in public institutions, while Italy has restricted its operations in the country. Taiwan has also prohibited government agencies from using DeepSeek.
DeepSeek was founded in 2023 by Chinese entrepreneur Liang Feng and has introduced an AI model competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
