DeepSeek shared Korean users' data illegally

Seoul

South Korea’s data watchdog has accused Chinese AI platform DeepSeek of illegally sharing personal data from about 1.5 million Korean users. The data was reportedly transferred to firms in China and the United States without user consent, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said on Thursday.

DeepSeek became a top app on Apple’s iPhone in Korea, even surpassing ChatGPT. However, its popularity was short-lived after concerns over censorship, privacy, and links to China’s government led to bans in several countries, including South Korea.

From January 15 to February 15, 2025, DeepSeek passed user data to three companies in China and one in the US. According to the PIPC, users were not informed or asked for permission. The app’s privacy policy also failed to mention these international transfers.

With an estimated 50,000 users per day during its month-long run, officials believe the total number of affected users could be around 1.5 million. The data included device and network details, app usage, and even the messages typed into the AI system.

One of the Chinese companies receiving the data, Volcano, is linked to ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. The app did not let users stop their data from being used in AI training, only adding that option after the PIPC raised concerns.

The app's privacy policy was also criticized for being only in Chinese and English and for lacking details on how user data would be deleted or protected.

Authorities have asked DeepSeek to delete all shared data and to fix its data handling processes immediately. The company must also appoint a representative in South Korea and tighten its security measures.