Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is facing data privacy concerns after South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) confirmed that the app communicated with ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok.
South Korea removed DeepSeek from Apple and Google app stores over the weekend, citing potential data-sharing risks. The AI-powered chatbot had already been downloaded over a million times before the ban, but existing users can still access it via web browsers.
The PIPC has not yet determined what specific data was transferred to ByteDance or to what extent, but the discovery has intensified global scrutiny over DeepSeek’s data practices.
The controversy follows a February report from U.S. cybersecurity firm Security Scorecard, which found multiple references to ByteDance-owned services within DeepSeek’s Android app. The report warned that DeepSeek likely transmits user behavior and device metadata to ByteDance servers, as well as to domains linked to Chinese state-owned entities.
These concerns come amid growing fears about Chinese data privacy laws, which critics argue allow the Chinese government access to data from domestic companies. However, ByteDance insists it operates independently, with global investors holding ownership stakes.
DeepSeek made global headlines in January, shaking up the AI industry by claiming to have developed a highly efficient AI model at a fraction of the cost of U.S. rivals like ChatGPT. The app quickly rose to the top of app store rankings in multiple countries, though it now ranks well below ChatGPT in the UK.
South Korea has joined Australia and Taiwan in banning DeepSeek from government devices, and its data regulator has urged users to exercise caution when entering personal information into the chatbot.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ban on TikTok, also owned by ByteDance, remains on hold until April 5, as President Donald Trump attempts to negotiate a resolution.
The BBC has reached out to the PIPC, ByteDance, and DeepSeek’s parent company, High Flyer, for comment, but no response has been provided yet.