Overview

• South Korea has temporarily halted new downloads of DeepSeek's AI app, citing non-compliance with local data protection laws and concerns about user data being transferred to ByteDance.
• DeepSeek has acknowledged shortcomings in its privacy practices and is cooperating with South Korean regulators to address the issues and resume app availability.
• Several countries, including Italy, Australia, and Taiwan, have restricted or banned DeepSeek on government devices due to national security and data privacy fears.
• The Chinese government denies allegations of improper data collection, emphasizing compliance with local laws, though critics highlight China's legal requirement for companies to share data with authorities upon request.
• DeepSeek's rapid rise, fueled by its low-cost AI model, has disrupted the global AI market but has also raised concerns about privacy, security, and potential misuse of its open-source technology.