Downloads of DeepSeek's AI Apps Paused in South Korea over Privacy Concerns
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has temporarily halted downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea as it collaborates with local authorities to address privacy concerns, South Korean officials said on Monday.
South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission stated that DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening. The company agreed to work with the commission to enhance privacy protections before reintroducing the apps.
The move does not affect existing users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their smartphones or those accessing it via personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the commission’s investigation division, advised South Korean users to delete the app from their devices or refrain from entering personal information until the concerns are resolved.
Several South Korean government agencies and companies have blocked DeepSeek from their networks or barred employees from using it for work, citing fears that the AI model collects excessive sensitive data.
The privacy commission, which began reviewing DeepSeek’s services last month, found that the company lacked transparency in third-party data transfers and may have gathered an excessive amount of personal information, Nam said.
Nam added that the commission does not have an estimate of DeepSeek’s user base in South Korea. However, a recent analysis by Wiseapp Retail found that approximately 1.2 million smartphone users in the country used DeepSeek during the fourth week of January, making it the second-most-popular AI model after ChatGPT.
