In South Korea, DeepSeek has been accused of leaking user data from ByteDance.

The South Korean data protection regulator stated that the Chinese chatbot DeepSeek was sending user data from the country to the TikTok parent company, ByteDance.

This was reported by Yonhap.

“We have confirmed that DeepSeek communicates with ByteDance,” said the South Korean data protection regulator.

Previously, the ability to download DeepSeek was temporarily suspended in the country due to concerns about data collection practices. Before this ban, the app had been downloaded over a million times from the Apple and Google stores, according to BBC.

Despite the identified connections between DeepSeek and ByteDance, there is currently no information on what specific data was transferred and in what volume.

The country is now demanding clarifications from the startup. DeepSeek has already appointed a representative in South Korea and acknowledged shortcomings in its compliance with local data protection laws, and they are ready to cooperate with the regulator.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek would be “shut down,” according to Rene Haas, the CEO of British chipmaker Arm. He also noted that this is merely his opinion and not based on any information.