Italy and South Korea ban DeepSeek and start investigation



South Korea’s Data Protection Authority (PIPC) says it has asked DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that develops large language models, to remove its application from Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of 15 February. The PIPC is currently conducting an investigation into the company’s use of personal data. As part of this assessment, the PIPC will work with DeepSeek to align its practices with legal requirements.

The PIPC also says it advocates for amendments to Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to establish special provisions for AI and strengthen enforcement measures against foreign businesses. The authority aims to strike a balance between AI-driven innovation and privacy protection.

Italy’s Data Protection Authority, the Garante, said at the end of January that it had ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot service whilst it is carrying out an investigation.

European Data Protection Authorities have recently broadened the scope of the European Data Protection Board’s taskforce from studying OpenAI’s ChatGPT to cover cooperation more widely on AI issues. The AI department of France’s Data Protection Authority’s (CNIL) is currently analysing the tool and some other DPAs are also taking individual action.

In Canada, DeepSeek has been banned on some Canadian government mobile devices due to serious privacy concerns, and in Australia the ban covers all federal government systems.

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