Unfortunate news for DeepSeek users in South Korea. On Monday, the country’s regulatory authority declared that the Chinese AI application is now prohibited in South Korea due to allegations of non-compliance with local data protection regulations. Consequently, both Apple and Google will need to remove the application from their respective app stores.
DeepSeek AI temporarily suspended in South Korea
According to a report by Reuters, South Korea’s data protection body has instructed tech giants like Apple and Google to take steps to stop downloads of the application. However, for the time being, DeepSeek can still be accessed through web browsers in the country. The regulator asserts that the app is not compliant with the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) law.
The report highlights that DeepSeek has already engaged legal representatives in South Korea and admitted to partially overlooking the country’s data protection regulations. A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry stated earlier this month that the Chinese government places “great importance on data privacy and security, and protects it according to the law.”
As per South Korea’s regulator, DeepSeek may resume operations in the country once it makes the necessary adjustments to align with local privacy laws.
For those who may not be aware, DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that gained popularity after launching a new model, dubbed “R1,” which performs comparably to other competing AI models while utilizing significantly fewer hardware resources. DeepSeek has received accolades from Apple CEO Tim Cook, although it has sparked considerable controversy due to its origins.
Italy was the first nation to impose a ban on DeepSeek over privacy concerns, and a U.S. senator has proposed legislation aimed at penalizing the use of Chinese AI.
DeepSeek reached the pinnacle of the U.S. App Store rankings last month, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Currently, it holds the position of the 13th most downloaded app in the rankings.
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.
