DeepSeek Pulled From S Korean App Stores Amid Privacy Review

Chinese AI app DeepSeek will not be available to download in South Korea pending a review of its handling of user data, Seoul authorities said on Monday.

- Agence France-Presse

SEOUL:

DeepSeek's AI chatbot stunned investors and industry insiders with its ability to match the functions of its Western competitors at a fraction of the cost.

But a number of countries have questioned DeepSeek's storage of user data, which the firm says is collected in "secure servers located in the People's Republic of China".

Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek would no longer be available for download until a review of its personal data collection practices was carried out.

The Chinese AI firm has "acknowledged that considerations for domestic privacy laws were somewhat lacking", the data protection agency said.