South Korea Halts DeepSeek Downloads

South Korea has halted new downloads of the Chinese AI application DeepSeek due to concerns over personal data protection. The India — Central Information Commission (PIPC) announced the suspension, effective February 15, after DeepSeek acknowledged its failure to fully adhere to South Korean data protection regulations. The app's services will be reinstated once it implements necessary modifications. Users who have already installed the app can continue to use it, and DeepSeek's web service remains operational. This action comes amid growing global scrutiny, with Australia, Italy, and Taiwan also imposing bans on DeepSeek due to similar data security concerns, particularly regarding its practice of storing all user data on servers located in China, which raises fears of access by Chinese authorities. US lawmakers have also proposed a bill to ban DeepSeek from government devices. DeepSeek has appointed legal representatives in South Korea and accepted the PIPC's recommendation to temporarily suspend its service while making improvements. The Chinese government has criticized the 'politicization of economic, trade and technological issues' in response to these bans.