SEOUL, South Korea - Chinese generative AI developer DeepSeek has implemented a Korean-language 'Privacy Policy', a move seen as a direct response to recent scrutiny from South Korean authorities over its handling of user data. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) had previously conducted an on-site inspection, revealing inadequacies in DeepSeek's data transfer practices and a lack of transparency regarding its policies for Korean users.
The PIPC's investigation, the results of which were deliberated on April 23rd, uncovered that DeepSeek had neither obtained explicit consent for transferring Korean users' data overseas nor provided a publicly accessible processing policy in Korean. Furthermore, the probe found that prompt information inputted by users in South Korea was being transmitted to Volcano Engine, a Chinese subsidiary of TikTok's parent company, ByteDance.
In response to these findings, the PIPC issued a formal corrective recommendation, demanding that DeepSeek establish clear legal justifications for any international data transfers, immediately purge the collected prompt data, and publish a privacy policy in Korean.
Complying with the PIPC's directive, DeepSeek unveiled its revised processing policy on April 28th (local time), which now includes specific supplementary clauses for South Korea. The updated policy explicitly states the company's commitment to adhering to the Korean Personal Information Protection Act in its handling of personal data. DeepSeek's revised terms also disclose that user data is transferred to four overseas entities – three located in China and one in the United States – and importantly, informs users of their right to object to such transfers.
Despite these policy adjustments, the temporary suspension of new downloads of the DeepSeek application from South Korean app marketplaces remains in effect. When questioned about the potential resumption of these services, the PIPC clarified that this decision rests solely with DeepSeek. A PIPC representative stated, "This is a matter that DeepSeek has autonomously decided, and whether to resume is also a matter that the business operator can autonomously decide if the corrective order is accepted and implemented to a certain extent."
This development underscores the growing focus of South Korean regulatory bodies on the data handling practices of international AI companies operating within the country. DeepSeek's swift action to implement a Korean privacy policy signals a recognition of the importance of complying with local data protection laws, particularly in the face of regulatory pressure. The situation will be closely monitored to see if DeepSeek fully addresses the PIPC's concerns and when its application might become available for new downloads again in South Korea.
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