South Korea’s data protection watchdog announced on Thursday that Chinese AI firm DeepSeek
transferred user data and AI prompt content without consent while its app was available in the country. According to the Personal Information Protection Commission, Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co. Ltd failed to obtain proper user approval before sharing personal information with companies in China and the U.S. during its South Korean debut in January.
In February, the data agency halted new downloads of the app after DeepSeek admitted to overlooking certain privacy regulations. Authorities also revealed that DeepSeek sent users’ AI prompt content and device data to Beijing Volcano Engine Technology Co. Ltd.
DeepSeek later claimed the data transfer aimed to enhance user experience and stated that prompt content sharing was halted as of April 10. The South Korean commission has now ordered the company to delete any shared AI prompts and establish a legal basis for future cross-border data transfers.
Responding to the development, China’s Foreign Ministry maintained that the Chinese government neither requests nor condones illegal data collection or storage by its companies.
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