Introduction to DeepSeek’s Temporary Unavailability

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI assistant that has gained massive popularity, has been temporarily removed from app stores in South Korea as of February 15. According to a press release issued by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), the country’s data protection authority, the temporary unavailability is due to DeepSeek’s non-compliance with local data protection laws. Although new downloads are currently suspended, users who already have the app can continue to use it.

Non-Compliance with Data Protection Laws

DeepSeek established its presence in South Korea on February 10 and has acknowledged that it did not fully consider the country’s data protection laws when launching its service globally. Fortunately, the company has expressed its intention to cooperate with the PIPC to resolve the issue. The PIPC has stated that inspecting DeepSeek will take some time, similar to the five months it took to inspect six AI services from other companies like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft. However, this inspection is expected to be shorter since it only involves DeepSeek.

Data Protection Concerns

In a statement to TechCrunch, the PIPC revealed that it discovered DeepSeek was transferring Korean users’ data to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. As a result, local users were warned against entering personal information into the app. This is not the first time DeepSeek has faced data protection concerns. Last month, the Italian Data Protection Authority, Garante, sent DeepSeek an information request asking about the type of data its models were trained on and several other questions.

Global Response to DeepSeek

Other countries have also taken action against DeepSeek due to security concerns. Australia and Taiwan have banned the app on government devices, and South Korea has blocked it on government and military devices. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, responded to South Korea’s DeepSeek ban, claiming that Beijing would never ask any company or individual to store or collect data illicitly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, DeepSeek’s temporary unavailability in South Korean app stores is a result of its non-compliance with local data protection laws. The company’s cooperation with the PIPC is expected to resolve the issue, but it may take some time. Meanwhile, users are warned to be cautious when using the app, and other countries continue to take action against DeepSeek due to security concerns.