The rise of DeepSeek put multiple regions on high alert, and while the company’s AI chatbot can effortlessly be used in several locations, countries like South Korea have outright banned the service due to security concerns. Now, according to the latest report, the authorities’ reasoning for suspending it might have some weight as a data protection agency believes that DeepSeek was transmitting user data and prompts overseas without consent.
Transmission of user data and prompts was happening when DeepSeek was still available to use in South Korea when it first launched in January
The latest update regarding DeepSeek’s alleged anti-privacy acts has been reported by Reuters, which mentions that South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said in a statement that users’ personal information was being sent to a number of companies located in China and the United States without permission. The report mentions that DeepSeek did not have the authority to send user data, but it states that this happened while the service was launched in January.
It did not take long for DeepSeek to be suspended entirely in the region in February 2025, with the data protection agency stating that the AI startup admitted it failed to take into account some of the watchdog’s rules on privacy and personal data. In addition to user information, the Personal Information Protection Commission believes that DeepSeek sent AI prompts entered by South Korean users to a Chinese firm called Beijing Volcano Engine Technology, along with details related to the individual’s networks, devices, and apps.
DeepSeek clarified that it was transferring data to Beijing Volcano Engine Technology to improve the user experience, and to likely comply with the agency’s privacy rules, blocked the transfer of AI prompts from April 10. China’s foreign ministry has reassured that the government has not and will never ask AI companies to collect and store user information illegally, but it appears that the South Korean agency is not satisfied with the response, as the service remains inactive. Perhaps if DeepSeek can be a little transparent with what it does with the transferred data, the AI chatbot can once again be used in the country.
News Source: Reuters
