AsianFin -- South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has temporarily suspended new downloads of the Chinese AI application DeepSeek, citing non-compliance with the country's data protection regulations. The suspension, effective since Saturday, does not affect existing users' access to DeepSeek's web service in South Korea.
DeepSeek has acknowledged its failure to fully comply with local data protection laws and appointed legal representatives in the country. The suspension will remain in place until the company makes the necessary adjustments to align with South Korean laws.
This decision follows concerns raised by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) regarding DeepSeek's data collection practices, including the alleged transfer of chat records to Chinese servers and the potential for excessive personal data gathering.
In addition, Italy's data protection authority previously ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot service due to similar privacy policy issues.
In response to these concerns, South Korean government agencies and private companies have started restricting the use of DeepSeek to safeguard sensitive information.
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