South Korea's data protection regulator has alleged that Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek's chatbot shared user data with ByteDance, the owner of social media giant TikTok, according to a report by Yonhap News.
On Sunday, the South Korean government temporarily halted new downloads of DeepSeek due to concerns over its data collection practices.
"We confirmed DeepSeek communicating with ByteDance," a South Korean Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) official told Yonhap News. However, the government has yet to confirm the extent of data sharing between the two Chinese tech companies. The PIPC has also issued a formal request to DeepSeek for clarification regarding its data collection and management practices.
DeepSeek is a generative AI built by a Chinese artificial intelligence startup known for developing advanced chatbot technology powered by large language models (LLMs). It has gained recognition for its sophisticated natural language processing capabilities, competing with global AI giants like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
DeepSeek's rapid expansion into international markets, including South Korea, has raised concerns over data privacy.
This is the first time a regulator has confirmed potential leaks of user data by DeepSeek to a third party.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has also faced scrutiny worldwide over national security and data privacy concerns. In 2020, India permanently banned TikTok, along with several other Chinese apps, citing threats to national security and data sovereignty.
The US has also attempted to restrict TikTok’s operations, with lawmakers arguing that the app could share user data with the Chinese government. While India enforced an outright ban, the US has considered legislative actions and forced divestment to address these concerns, keeping TikTok under continued regulatory pressure. On Monday, both Google and Apple restored TikTok on their app stores following assurances in a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi that a ban on the app wouldn’t immediately be enforced. The two companies had removed TikTok in the US last month to comply with a law passed in 2024.