South Korea Removes DeepSeek From App Stores

(CLO) The South Korean government announced that the AI DeepSeek application will be temporarily removed from domestic app stores pending review.

The decision comes as many countries have expressed concerns about how the app collects and uses sensitive data.

On Monday, South Korea confirmed that DeepSeek, an app developed by ChineseAI, will no longer be available on app stores in the country pending a review of how it handles user data.

Choi Jang-hyuk, vice chairman of Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission, said the government will closely review DeepSeek's handling of personal data to ensure compliance with local laws.

South Korea's data protection agency said DeepSeek is cooperating with authorities and has "acknowledged that domestic privacy law considerations are lacking." The review process will take time, so the app has been temporarily suspended in South Korea.

DeepSeek was removed from local app stores on Saturday and from the Apple Store in South Korea on Monday. However, users who had previously downloaded the app can still use it. Authorities have warned users to exercise caution in continuing to use it until the app meets local legal requirements.

DeepSeek, a Chinese company, has recently attracted attention for its ability to combine the functions of Western AI chatbots like ChatGPT at a significantly lower cost. However, some countries are concerned about the app collecting and storing users' personal data.

According to DeepSeek, user data is stored on secure servers located in China.

The South Korean government has previously banned access to DeepSeek on devices used by ministries and police forces. Australia has also banned the app on all government devices due to data security concerns.

Meanwhile, China has denied allegations that it is using tech companies to collect personal data, and condemned the " politicization of economic, trade and technological issues".

Ha Trang (according to DW)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/han-quoc-go-bo-deepseek-khoi-cac-cua-hang-ung-dung-post334913.html