DeepSeek, a Chinese AI application, acknowledged failing to comply with certain data security regulations in South Korea, leading to the suspension of new downloads on Monday.
The app will be back up and running as soon as adjustments are made in compliance with the country’s privacy rules, according to a media briefing by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC).
According to the agency, the new policy went into effect on Saturday with the intention of blocking new app downloads; however, DeepSeek’s web service is still accessible within the country.
The PIPC found that last week, the Chinese company admitted to largely ignoring provisions of South Korea’s data protection law and had appointed legal representation in the country.
Last month, the Garante, Italy’s data protection authority, announced that it had instructed DeepSeek to disable its chatbot in the nation due to the company’s failure to resolve the regulator’s concerns regarding the privacy policy of DeepSeek.
DeepSeek did not answer right away when asked for a response.
A representative from the Chinese foreign ministry stated during a briefing on February 6 that the Chinese government placed a high value on data privacy and security and ensured its protection in compliance with the law, in response to a question regarding previous actions taken by South Korean government agencies to block DeepSeek.
The official also said that Beijing would never ask a person or a business to gather or store data in a way that breaks the law.