South Korea bans DeepSeek from Apple and Google app stores
South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission announced that DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening. The company has agreed to collaborate with the agency to enhance privacy protections before reintroducing the apps.
The removal does not impact users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission’s investigation division, urged local users to either delete the app or refrain from entering personal information until the concerns are addressed.
DeepSeek stated that it will collaborate with local authorities to address privacy concerns and enhance data protection before releasing an updated version. The government confirmed that the ban will be lifted once the necessary improvements are implemented.
A major concern highlighted by the agency is that South Korean users’ data is stored on servers in China, where it could be accessed by the government under Chinese law.
Kerry is a Content Creator at www.systemtek.co.uk she has spent many years working in IT support, her main interests are computing, networking and AI.