South Korea Warns Against Chinese AI App DeepSeek Over Data Privacy Risks

South Korea’s intelligence agency has raised alarms over the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, accusing it of excessively collecting personal data and using user input for AI training. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has urged government agencies to take security precautions, warning that the app may compromise sensitive information.

Unlike other AI services, DeepSeek reportedly transfers chat records and tracks keyboard input patterns, which could be used to identify individuals. The NIS stated that these records are sent to servers linked to Chinese companies, including volceapplog.com.

Concerns over data security have led several South Korean ministries to block access to DeepSeek, following similar actions by Australia and Taiwan. The NIS claims the app grants advertisers unlimited access to user data and stores South Korean users’ information on Chinese servers, raising fears that such data could be accessed by the Chinese government under local laws.

Adding to the controversy, the NIS found that DeepSeek provides different answers to politically and culturally sensitive questions depending on the language used. One such example involved the origin of kimchi, a fermented dish deeply tied to South Korean identity.

With mounting concerns over data privacy and national security, South Korea joins a growing list of countries scrutinizing AI-powered applications from China.