DeepSeek to be removed from App Store in South Korea due to local ban

Bad news for DeepSeek users in South Korea. The country’s regulator announced on Monday that the Chinese AI app is now banned in South Korea under allegations that it fails to comply with local data protection laws. As a result, both Apple and Google will have to remove the app from their respective app stores.

DeepSeek AI temporarily banned in South Korea

As reported by Reuters, South Korea’s data protection authority has ordered tech companies like Apple and Google to implement measures to block downloads of the app. Despite this, DeepSeek can still be accessed via a web browser in the country – at least for now. The regulator claims that the app doesn’t comply with the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) law.

The report mentions that DeepSeek has already appointed legal representatives in South Korea and acknowledged that it partially neglected the considerations of the country’s data protection law. A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that the Chinese government attaches “great importance to data privacy and security and protected it in accordance with the law.”

According to South Korea’s regulator, DeepSeek can resume operations there as soon as it implements changes to ensure that the app complies with the country’s privacy law.

For those unfamiliar, DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that became popular after launching a new model called “R1,” which performs just as well as competing AI models but using far fewer hardware resources. DeepSeek was recently praised by Apple CEO Tim Cook, but has caused a lot of controversy due to its origin.

Italy was the first country to ban DeepSeek for privacy reasons, while a US senator has created a bill that aims to fine those who use Chinese AI.

DeepSeek reached the top of the US App Store last month, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The app is currently the 13th most downloaded in the ranking.

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.

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