While DeepSeek’s app data privacy practices are being evaluated, South Korea has temporarily banned the app from its app stores, precluding the installation of new versions, but will still let people use it on their phones. The ban is a precautionary one so the government can make sure that DeepSeek fits within the strict South Korean privacy regulations.
South Korea Suspends DeepSeek App Amid Privacy Concerns
The app will not be available for download at the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) until the app begins following data handling practices in accordance with the Korean privacy laws, the Personal Information Protection Commission said. While the suspension only applies to new download of the app and its online services, users in South Korea who are among the existing users will be able to continue using the app and its online services.
But the PIPC has advised caution because of the app’s continued functionality for existing users. The app asks users not to put any personal information into the app until things are sorted fully and until a final word is said.
This is part of a broader South Korean attempt to require foreign companies, particularly those that handle sensitive data, to conform to country’s privacy and security standards. It underscores the rising concern that technology companies based outside South Korea are handling user data improperly.
The South Korean government’s action while the app continues to run could get other countries thinking whether the app is compatible with their own privacy laws. The fact that the data protection situation is an important one for the world in the age of artificial intelligence and data driven applications is underlined by the situation.
South Korea Investigates DeepSeek App Over Data Privacy Issues
South Korea’s PIPI has opened an investigation into how the app stores personal data, after the launch of the app in the country last month. The commission pointed out that the app’s privacy policies did not address user information and that important data relating to the use of third party services to process users information were not disclosed.
When investigating the data transfer, it was found that DeepSeek was transferring Korean users’ data to ByteDance, the owner of TikTok. This was a major point of privacy concerns because the transfer of data to a foreign company is not disclosed correctly, violating the local data protection laws.
The requests for clarification were ignored by the DeepSeek company, which the Chinese firm, Nudhotel, appears to have set up to market the Donghai Island survey. It has raised concerns about app’s compliance with South Korean privacy regulations which record the strictest in the world.
These findings led the PIPC to take steps to make sure that DeepSeek was addressed before it can be downloaded again, fully. The investigation of the company’s data handling practices continues with the suspension of the app from the South Korean app stores.
DeepSeek indicates this particular situation, however, is not an outlier when it comes to the greater level of scrutiny private apps and their data practices are coming under the microscope, particularly when data and user information is being transferred over international borders. Given the way forward, South Korea and other countries will probably continue monitoring the use of third party services to ensure the protection of privacy rights and prevent the loss of user data.
DeepSeek Faces Scrutiny in South Korea Over Privacy and Security Concerns
DeepSeek has since appointed a local representative in South Korea, according to the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), that has noted that, as such, issues of privacy can be dealt with by someone on the ground. But company officials said they were not fully aware of South Korea’s strict privacy laws when the app was first launched. As a result, the regulation towards Turkish Airlines has been quite strict.
And last Friday, DeepSeek responded with a statement of intent to fully cooperate with Korean authorities in light of the ongoing investigation. The PIPC had raised concerns about the company’s disregard to comply with the nation privacy laws, and the company has admitted to the fact and promised to do everything in its power to adjust to the country’s privacy regulations.
In earlier action this month, South Korea’s ministry for trade, industry and energy also, along with the police and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, cut off access to DeepSeek on official devices. Heightening scrutiny of the app, the government said security concerns played the main role in taking this decision.
They are also a reflection of a growing national security and a privacy dilemma about foreign apps in South Korea. That swift response underlines the government’s efforts to protect sensitive data and keep rogue IT from falling into cyberspace’s lap.
Since DeepSeek is working on solving these issues as quickly as possible, it finds itself in a delicate situation to restore its good name in South Korea. To regain trust and compliance with the stringent regulations of the country, the company will have to make quite some adjustments to its privacy practices.
