South Korea: South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek AI chatbot, citing non-compliance with the country’s personal data protection laws. The decision, made by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), follows a surge in the app’s popularity, which saw it reach over a million weekly users in just one week.
The chatbot has been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. However, users who had previously downloaded the app can still continue to use it or access it through its website.
This move comes after several South Korean government agencies imposed a ban on their employees downloading the app to their work devices, heightening concerns around national security and data privacy. South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, referred to DeepSeek as a “shock” to the nation, warning of its potential impact on industries beyond just AI.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise has also drawn scrutiny from other nations. Countries like Taiwan, Australia, and Italy have already banned the app from government devices, while US lawmakers have suggested similar actions, citing surveillance risks. Despite its popularity, concerns over the app’s privacy practices have prompted multiple regulatory bodies to request changes before it can be made available again.
The DeepSeek chatbot, powered by an advanced large language model, has been praised for its reasoning abilities, which are said to rival those of models like OpenAI’s GPT-4, but at a significantly lower cost. This has raised further questions about the billions of dollars being funded in AI infrastructure worldwide.
As global scrutiny intensifies, it remains unclear when DeepSeek will be allowed to return to app stores in South Korea and other regions.
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