The DeepSeek AI app was removed from South Korea’s app stores on Feb. 15 because of data privacy concerns.
Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has shared data with the Beijing parent firm of the popular Chinese app TikTok, South Korean officials told The Epoch Times days after suspending the chatbot’s service in the country.
“There was data exchange with an IP address related to ByteDance,” an official from South Korea’s data protection regulator, the Personal Information Protection Commission, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 19.
Both DeepSeek and TikTok are facing scrutiny over national security concerns tied to their Chinese ownership. TikTok is facing a U.S. federal ban that will take effect unless ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, sells the social media platform, and a number of countries, as well as several U.S. government agencies, have blocked DeepSeek from government devices.
The South Korean official said they are still assessing whether ByteDance or any other related Chinese companies have collected or used personal information as a result of the exchange.
The commission said it is conducting an investigation into the app, including by analyzing IP addresses used to transmit the data units on websites and apps. They will hold a briefing to announce the results, the official said.
South Korea’s regulations require companies operating in the country to obtain consent from users before handing over their personal data to any third party. In a briefing on Feb. 17, the data regulator’s vice chair, Choi Jang-hyuk, noted that DeepSeek hadn’t disclosed specific details about its practices before sharing the data, violating the country’s policy.
The DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) app was removed from South Korea’s app stores on Feb. 15. DeepSeek acknowledged neglecting certain aspects of South Korea’s privacy law and appointed a local representative to address the commission’s concerns, head of the commission’s investigation bureau Nam Suk told reporters during the Feb. 17 briefing.
WiseApp, a Korean retail user analysis company, recently estimated that DeepSeek has about 1.2 million users in the country. Suk has advised existing users to exercise extra caution and avoid entering personal information into the chatbot until the commission finishes its investigation.
By Aldgra Fredly and Eva Fu
