South Korea Watchdog Says DeepSeek Sent User Data to Multiple Companies Overseas

South Korea’s data protection watchdog said that DeepSeek transferred data to a Beijing-based ‘affiliate’ of ByteDance.

The Icon for the smartphone apps DeepSeek on a smartphone screen in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2025. Andy Wong/AP Photo

South Korea’s data protection authority said on April 24 that Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek had transferred user data to multiple companies in China and the United States without consent.

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) released the findings of its preliminary investigation into DeepSeek, whose AI service and new downloads on South Korea’s app stores were temporarily suspended on Feb. 15 due to non-compliance with the country’s privacy laws.