South Korea’s data protection authority has suspended new downloads of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, citing failure to follow local rules on protecting personal data. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said improvements must be made before resuming service.
The measure, which came into force on Saturday, blocks new downloads but allows the web-based service to remain accessible in the country. A Chinese startup appointed legal representatives last week and acknowledged neglecting some of South Korea’s rules on data protection.
This decision follows similar actions taken by Italy’s Garante, which ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot after concerns over its privacy policy were raised. The company has yet to comment on the issue.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/technology/south-koreas-data-protection-authority-suspends-local-service-deepseek-2025-02-17