On Saturday, the South Korean government ordered the temporary removal of the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chat application DeepSeek, citing concerns that the software excessively collects users’ personal information and poses national security risks.
The Personal Information Protection Commission of South Korea (PIPC) issued an order on February 17 to suspend the download of the DeepSeek application by the Chinese startup “DeepSeek” in South Korea, pending improvements in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act before service resumption.
Starting from 6 p.m. local time on February 15, the DeepSeek application was temporarily removed from the local Apple App Store and Google Play Store in South Korea.
Users who had already downloaded DeepSeek on their mobile phones and personal computers can continue to use the application. However, Nam Suk, the Director-General of PIPC responsible for investigation and coordination, advised users to delete the downloaded DeepSeek application or refrain from entering personal information into the software until the issue is resolved.
Addressing concerns about how DeepSeek handles user personal information, PIPC had sent a questionnaire to DeepSeek headquarters last month, raising doubts about the company’s data collection and processing methods in the development and provision of services, including the department responsible for handling personal information, collection items and purposes, information usage and retention methods, and whether information is shared.
In response to PIPC’s inquiries, DeepSeek acknowledged in a reply on February 14 that it had violated relevant laws in South Korea during the launch of its global service and expressed willingness to cooperate with the commission’s measures.
DeepSeek’s privacy policy admits that the company stores data on servers located in mainland China.
Due to concerns about DeepSeek’s AI model excessively collecting sensitive information, many South Korean government agencies and companies have blocked DeepSeek on their networks or prohibited employees from using it at work.
Furthermore, DeepSeek has built-in real-time content review mechanisms and reinforces official Chinese Communist Party propaganda narrative, raising international fears that DeepSeek could become a new tool for the Chinese government to conduct speech censorship and opinion manipulation.
Several countries and regions including the United States, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, and India have prohibited the use of DeepSeek on official devices. Italy has even completely blocked DeepSeek and launched an investigation into the company “DeepSeek.”
(Reference: Associated Press, Yonhap News Agency)