- California Assembly OKs highest minimum wage in nation
- S. Korea unveils first graphic cigarette warnings
- US joins with South Korea, Japan in bid to deter North Korea
- LPGA golfer Chun In-gee finally back in action
- S. Korea won’t be top seed in final World Cup qualification round
- US men’s soccer misses 2nd straight Olympics
- US back on track in qualifying with 4-0 win over Guatemala
- High-intensity workout injuries spawn cottage industry
- CDC expands range of Zika mosquitoes into parts of Northeast
- Who knew? ‘The Walking Dead’ is helping families connect
S. Korea to send inquiry to China’s DeepSeek over data privacy concerns
South Korea’s data protection authority plans to send an inquiry to DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, amid growing concerns over the company’s data collection practices, according to officials Friday.
According to the officials, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) under the interior ministry plans to send an official inquiry to DeepSeek’s headquarters in China, requesting detailed information on the startup’s policy on personal data collection.
The PIPC also plans to ask how DeepSeek uses personal data for AI training purposes.
A commission official said the move comes in response to the rapid rise in South Korean users of DeepSeek and the increasing concerns over potential privacy risks.
“Depending on the response, we will take further steps such as a fact-finding review or an investigation if necessary,” the official said.
Major international media outlets have reported that government institutions and companies worldwide are restricting access to DeepSeek over fears of data leaks and privacy violations.
According to DeepSeek’s privacy policy, the company collects various forms of personal information, including users’ names, birth dates, email addresses, phone numbers and passwords for AI model training.
The company also gathers keyboard input patterns, audio data, uploaded files and chat histories. The policy states that DeepSeek reserves the right to share such data with law enforcement and public agencies at its discretion.