Why South Korea banned new downloads of DeepSeek?
WORLD | TRENDING | South Korea has banned the new downloads of China's Artificial Intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek, country's personal data protection watchdog confirmed.
South Korea has banned the new downloads of China's Artificial Intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek, country's personal data protection watchdog confirmed. The app will reportedly be available again for South Korean users after some changes in it to make it safe for the users. The government agency said there will be some "improvements and remedies" in the chatbot to ensure it complies with South Korean personal data protection laws.
The AI app made global headlines after its launch and became massive popular in South Korea, with more than 1 million weekly users on the app stores. But amid the popularity, DeepSeek also became the centre of scrutiny by many countries over the data security concerns on the platform. As many as eight countries, including India, have banned the Chinese app's use in their government agencies, citing data security concerns.
South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission said the chatbot became unavailable on Apple's App Store and Google Play on Saturday (Feb 15).
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This comes after South Korean authorities banned all government employees from installing the app on their devices. Calling the app a "shock," the acting South Korean president Choi Sang-mok said the platform could impact the country's industries.
Despite the ban on new downloads, people who already have the app will continue using the platform or would be able to access it via DeepSeek's website.
India's ban on DeepSeek for government employees
On February 5, reports came that the Indian Finance Ministry asked employees to stop the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes, citing sensitive government data, Reuters reported. The ministry repeatedly said the use of such platforms breaches the confidentiality of government documents and data.
"It has been determined that AI tools and AI apps (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek etc.) in the office computers and devices pose risks for the confidentiality of (government) data and documents," said the advisory by the Indian Finance Ministry dated Jan 29," Reuters reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
