"Existing Users Advised Not to Enter Personal Information"
DeepSeek Service Inspection Underway During Suspension Period
Service to Resume After Improvements and Supplements in Accordance with Current Law
Download services for the Chinese app DeepSeek have been temporarily suspended on application markets such as Google Play and Apple App Store since 6 p.m. on the 15th. Domestic services are expected to resume after improvements and supplements are made in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (hereinafter referred to as the Protection Act).
Nam Seok, Director of the Investigation and Coordination Bureau at the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated at the government Seoul office on the morning of the 17th, "(DeepSeek) failed to provide specific notices and disclosures regarding third-party provision or consignment under the Protection Act," adding, "We also confirmed shortcomings related to excessive collection of personal information."
He also revealed, "It has been confirmed that DeepSeek user information was transferred to ByteDance, a Chinese social media company." ByteDance is the parent company of TikTok. Although the specific information transferred to ByteDance has not been disclosed, this is an issue prohibited by the Protection Act, which inevitably led to the suspension of the service.
Accordingly, the Personal Information Protection Commission judged that a considerable amount of time would be needed to rectify the service in accordance with the Protection Act and recommended that DeepSeek temporarily suspend the service to prevent further concerns from spreading. DeepSeek accepted this recommendation, and the service was suspended on domestic app markets from 6 p.m. on the 15th. Director Nam explained, "We have not confirmed any cases where DeepSeek voluntarily suspended the service overseas," adding, "In Italy, for example, the authorities suspended it immediately after its release."
However, users who have already downloaded the DeepSeek app or access DeepSeek via PC can still use the service. Director Nam said, "(For those who have already downloaded it) there are no appropriate measures that the business operator can take, and due to the nature of the internet, blocking is not easy." When asked about the number of DeepSeek app downloads, he said, "The exact number has not been identified yet," and "We will track the exact number later." He added, "Since there is a risk, we ask users to use it cautiously," and mentioned, "If necessary, users can delete the app themselves and refrain from using it."
Vice Chairman Choi Jang-hyuk also stated, "The temporary suspension of the DeepSeek app means restricting new app downloads from app markets. Existing users are once again urged to use the service cautiously, such as refraining from entering personal information into the DeepSeek input prompt until the final results are announced."
Meanwhile, the Personal Information Protection Commission plans to inspect the personal information processing status during the suspension of DeepSeek services. Director Nam explained, "We will check the processing flow, storage, and destruction status of personal information previously entered during the inspection process and devise necessary measures if needed," adding, "We will also review compliance obligations under the Protection Act and necessary measures for users." He further said, "The inspection of six large language model (LLM) service providers last year took about five months," and "Since this time it involves only one business operator and accumulated experience and know-how exist, we expect the process to be faster than before."
Earlier, immediately after the launch of DeepSeek services on the 31st of last month, the Personal Information Protection Commission sent an official inquiry regarding personal information collection and processing methods to DeepSeek headquarters and began its own analysis of the service. The Commission stated, "Our analysis confirmed some deficiencies in third-party communication functions and personal information processing policies pointed out by domestic and international media."
Subsequently, DeepSeek informed the Commission that "after designating a domestic agent on the 10th, it acknowledged some negligence in considering domestic protection laws during the global service launch process and expressed its intention to actively cooperate with the Commission going forward." DeepSeek’s domestic agent is the law firm Bae, Kim & Lee LLC.
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