The restrictions will not affect usage of the existing app and web service in the country. However, the data protection authority said it “strongly advises” current users to avoid entering personal information into DeepSeek until its final decision is made.
Following the release of the DeepSeek service in South Korea in late January, the PIPC said it reached out to the Chinese AI lab to inquire how it collects and processes personal data, and in its evaluation, found issues with DeepSeek’s third-party service and privacy policies.
The PICC confirmed to TechCrunch that its investigation found DeepSeek had transferred data of South Korean users to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.