South Korea removes DeepSeek from app stores pending privacy review

.

South Korea has suspended downloads of DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence-powered chatbot pending a review of the Chinese start-up’s privacy standards.

South Korea’s privacy watchdog said on Feb 17 that DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot was removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play after the Hangzhou-based firm acknowledged that it had failed to comply with personal data protection rules.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said in a statement that DeepSeek accepted its proposal to suspend downloads of the app.

The chatbot is still available for those who have already downloaded the app.

“To prevent further concerns from spreading, the commission recommended that DeepSeek temporarily suspend its service while making the necessary improvements,” the commission said, adding that bringing the app in line with local regulations would “inevitably take a significant amount of time”.