Seoul: The South Korean government said Monday it has temporarily suspended new downloads of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek over concerns about its data collection practices, Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Personal Information Protection Commission said the service was suspended at 6:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) Saturday and will be resumed after “improvements and remedies” are made in line with South Korea’s personal information protection laws.
Existing users of the app will continue to have access, though the commission called for prudence. “Those who have already downloaded DeepSeek and are using it, and those using it on the internet, should be careful as there are risks” of an invasion of personal information, the commission said.
The measure comes after multiple government ministries and agencies blocked internal access to the AI service amid concerns about the startup’s data management practices. The commission had sent a formal inquiry to DeepSeek last month seeking clarification on the service’s data collection and management methods.
In response, the company designated a legal representative in South Korea and acknowledged shortcomings in considering local protection laws while also expressing its will to actively cooperate with the commission.