DeepSeek Under Scrutiny for Allegedly Sharing User Data with TikTok’s Parent Company
South Korea has accused the Chinese AI company DeepSeek of sharing user information with ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, as reported by the Yonhap news agency. The South Korean data regulator indicated that communications were occurring between DeepSeek and ByteDance, although the specifics regarding the user data exchanged have not been confirmed.
Due to security concerns, the country has temporarily halted new downloads of the AI application. Under South Korean law, users must provide explicit consent for their data to be shared with third parties.
In light of these apprehensions, DeepSeek has appointed a representative in South Korea and acknowledged its shortcomings regarding local data protection laws, according to Yonhap. The company’s powerful AI model has already made waves in the Western tech landscape by matching capabilities with OpenAI’s ChatGPT while being much more affordable.
However, concerns over security quickly emerged. Just weeks prior, TikTok—a different Chinese tech firm—faced a brief ban in the US due to worries about user data protection.
When DeepSeek launched, US entrepreneur Bill Ackman characterized it as a “Trojan Horse,” implying that TikTok pales in comparison.
