Chinese chatbot DeepSeek debuted in South Korea in January this year, but local regulators clarified last week that user data and queries were being shared with China and the US without permission. That hasn’t stopped the app of the same name from returning to app stores for users in South Korea this week.
Image source: Unsplash, Solen Feyissa
Access to the app for users in South Korea was closed in February this year, but since Monday it has been restored in both the Apple App Store and Google Play, Reuters reported. The annotation for the downloadable app on these platforms now says: “We process your personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act of South Korea.” DeepSeek users, according to representatives of the company of the same name, retain the option to opt out of the transfer of personal data to a number of Chinese and American companies.
According to South Korean regulators, DeepSeek voluntarily returned its app to software stores, a right it could have received if it had at least partially complied with the demands of the South Korean authorities. In other countries, the use of DeepSeek is prohibited for officials with official electronic devices, and a complete ban is introduced in rare cases. Authorities in some countries fear that DeepSeek may transmit personal data of users and other sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agencies.