As countries around the world probe further into DeepSeek’s security threats, and possible uses, Reuters reports that South Korea’s information privacy regulator plans to ask the Chinese startup how it manages personal user data.
South Korea officials confirmed today that the nation’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) will send a written request for information to the China-based AI model operator. This information comes as other countries such as France, Italy, Ireland, and the U.S.A. have made their own inquiries into DeekSeek’s use of personal data.
The AI app made waves when it was released as free to download in many app stores, while also making claims of a similar performance model to ChatGPT– which only offers a limited version of its software for free use.
At the same time, U.S. news site Axios has reported that U.S. congressional offices have also received warnings not to use the AI model over security concerns. The report quoted a notice sent by Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor stating that the app was currently under review, and not yet authorized for use in the House.
This isn’t the first time, or AI model, to be banned by the CAO for use in the House– in 2023 it put limitations on the use of Chat GPT and Microsoft Copilot. The current advisory for Deepseek closely mirrors one sent out by the U.S. navy as reported earlier this week, forbidding the app’s use or installation onto any officially issued devices.
Compared to South Korea’s approach, concerns in the U.S. seem to go beyond the use of user data, with fears that China could use the AI to launch aggressive cyber attacks, among other more direct threats.