South Korea Bans DeepSeek Over Data Privacy Concerns, Joining Italy and Australia

South Korea has become the latest country to ban the Chinese AI app DeepSeek due to concerns over data protection. This decision follows significant backlash against the chatbot, which recently surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the most popular AI app in the United States. The app's meteoric rise in popularity has raised numerous security, privacy, and ethical concerns, including its refusal to answer questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced that new downloads of DeepSeek would be blocked while it reviews how the app handles users' personal data. “[DeepSeek] acknowledged that considerations for domestic privacy laws were somewhat lacking,” the PIPC stated. “To prevent further concerns from spreading, the commission recommended that DeepSeek temporarily suspend its service while making the necessary improvements.”

While new downloads are restricted, the app’s web-based service remains accessible in South Korea. According to the PIPC, the Chinese startup has recently appointed legal representatives in South Korea and admitted to overlooking certain aspects of the country’s data protection laws.

This move by South Korea follows similar actions taken by other countries. Last month, Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, ordered DeepSeek to halt its chatbot services in the country after it failed to address privacy concerns. Meanwhile, Australia has banned all DeepSeek products from government devices, citing them as a “national security risk.”

DeepSeek has not yet responded to requests for comment. When asked about South Korea’s decision, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated on February 6 that the Chinese government “attaches great importance to data privacy and security and protects it per the law.” The spokesperson also insisted that Beijing does not require companies or individuals to collect or store data in violation of privacy laws.

The crackdown on DeepSeek is also gaining traction in the United States, where lawmakers have recently introduced a bill that would ban Americans from using the app or interacting with any AI technologies developed in China. If passed into law, violations could carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.