South Korea Spy Agency Raises Concerns Over DeepSeek's Data Collection Practices
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has accused the Chinese AI app DeepSeek of "excessively" gathering personal data and using it to train itself. The NIS highlighted that the app collects keyboard input patterns that can identify individuals and communicate with Chinese servers, raising security concerns.
The NIS issued an official notice to government agencies urging them to take security precautions regarding DeepSeek. Some South Korean ministries have already blocked access to the app due to these concerns, following similar actions taken by Australia and Taiwan.
According to the NIS, DeepSeek allows advertisers unrestricted access to user data and stores South Korean users' information on Chinese servers. This raises fears that the Chinese government could potentially access this data under Chinese law.
One alarming discovery by the NIS is that DeepSeek provided different responses to sensitive questions depending on the language used. For instance, when asked about the origin of kimchi, a Korean staple dish, the app claimed different origins based on whether the question was posed in Korean or Chinese.
The NIS also noted that DeepSeek has been accused of censoring responses to politically sensitive topics, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. In such instances, the app reportedly redirected conversations to avoid discussing controversial subjects.
Despite these allegations, DeepSeek has not yet responded to requests for comment. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson emphasised that China prioritises data privacy and security, stating that Beijing upholds laws protecting data and would not condone any breaches.
South Korea's NIS raises concerns over DeepSeek's data collection practices
DeepSeek accused of providing different responses based on language used
App allegedly censors responses to politically sensitive topics
Source: REUTERS