South Korea Raises Alarms Over China’s DeepSeek AI

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has issued a serious warning regarding China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence. The advisory, directed at various government agencies, underscores concerns that DeepSeek excessively gathers personal data from its users, posing a significant security risk.

Key Security Concerns

• Extensive Data Harvesting: Unlike other generative AI services, DeepSeek not only stores user chat records but also collects keyboard input patterns that could identify individuals. This data is then transmitted to Chinese servers, making it accessible not only to DeepSeek but also to other entities, including servers like volceapplog.com.

• Data Storage and Third-Party Sharing: The NIS report highlights that data from South Korean users is stored on servers within China. Given Chinese laws, such data is legally available to the Chinese government upon request. Furthermore, DeepSeek is accused of sharing user information with third-party advertisers, without offering an opt-out mechanism, and the terms of service allow for indefinite data retention.

Influence of Political Propaganda

The report also points out that DeepSeek’s responses seem colored by Chinese Communist Party propaganda. The NIS cited several instances where the AI’s answers varied based on language settings:

• Cultural Misrepresentation: For example, when queried about kimchi in Korean, DeepSeek honored its cultural significance as a symbol of Korean heritage. However, the same inquiry in Chinese resulted in a controversial claim that the dish originated from China, while an English query merely noted its association with Korea.

• Historical Bias: The AI’s handling of the Northeast Project—a research project by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—triggered controversy. Korean analysts criticized DeepSeek’s politically slanted response, which downplayed Korean historical claims. While DeepSeek described the project as a tool for regional revitalization to Chinese and English speakers, it adopted a more cautious tone for Korean users by suggesting that historical interpretations vary among neighboring countries.

Declining Popularity and Governmental Response

The repercussions of these security concerns have been substantial. According to the Korea Joongang Daily, DeepSeek’s user base among Koreans dropped sharply by over 50% following these incidents. At its peak, DeepSeek boasted more than 191,000 Korean users on January 28; however, following a government bulletin advising caution with AI chatbots, this number plummeted to just 74,000 by the following week.

Many government entities, along with banks, schools, and large corporations, have since banned the DeepSeek app from their networks. While it remains available on the Korean Apple App Store, its popularity has waned dramatically, falling from the top position at launch to a distant 16th place ranking.

This development underscores the growing tensions between technological advancement and data security, as governments work to safeguard their citizens’ personal information against potential foreign influence and data breaches.