Synopsis
On February 5, South Korea's foreign and trade ministries blocked the Chinese AI service DeepSeek over privacy concerns. This action reflects the government's commitment to safeguarding sensitive data amidst the integration of generative AI technologies in official operations.Key Takeaways
- South Korea's ministries blocked DeepSeek due to user data concerns.
- Affected computers include those connected to external networks.
- Government agencies were warned against sharing personal information.
- Kakao and LG Uplus have banned DeepSeek for business use.
- DeepSeek is under investigation for its privacy policies.
Seoul, February 5 (NationPress) The foreign and trade ministries of South Korea have restricted access to the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) service DeepSeek due to rising concerns regarding user data privacy. According to various sources within the ministries, this restriction applies to computers linked to external networks.
An official from the ministry informed the Yonhap News Agency that an alert indicating restricted access appears when users attempt to reach the site.
These two ministries play a crucial role in managing sensitive information pertaining to foreign affairs and trade.
This decision is seen as part of the government's initiative to proactively mitigate fears that critical government information could be jeopardized while officials utilize generative AI services.
Prior to this action, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety had sent a communication to government bodies, as well as metropolitan and provincial authorities, urging vigilance when using AI platforms like DeepSeek and ChatGPT. The message highlighted the necessity of avoiding the sharing of personal information and cautioned against blindly trusting the outputs generated by these services.
In the business sector, Kakao made headlines by banning the use of DeepSeek for corporate purposes on Tuesday, marking it as the first significant tech firm to implement such a measure. On the same day, LG Uplus also adopted a similar policy.
Other prominent technology companies, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, and LG Electronics, which are actively developing their own generative AI tools, have prohibited the use of such applications on company devices without prior clearance.
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI application, has been under increasing scrutiny globally. Authorities in the Netherlands recently initiated an inquiry into its privacy practices, raising questions about how the application manages user data.
Similar bans have been enacted in other nations.
DeepSeek is being positioned as an alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, amid ongoing investigations by OpenAI and Microsoft into potential API infringements by DeepSeek.
