SEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) – South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has issued a warning about the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, accusing it of “excessively” collecting personal data and using it to train itself. The NIS also raised concerns about the app’s inconsistent responses to sensitive questions related to national pride.
Key Points:
- Data Collection: The NIS highlighted that DeepSeek collects keyboard input patterns, which can identify individuals and communicate with Chinese companies’ servers.
- Security Concerns: Some South Korean government ministries have blocked access to the app, citing security concerns. Australia and Taiwan have also issued warnings or placed restrictions on DeepSeek.
- Data Storage: DeepSeek stores South Korean users’ data in Chinese servers, making it accessible to the Chinese government under Chinese law.
- Inconsistent Responses: The NIS noted that DeepSeek provided different answers to sensitive questions based on the language used. For example, when asked about the origin of kimchi in Korean, the app stated it was a Korean dish, but in Chinese, it claimed the dish originated from China.
- Censorship: DeepSeek has been accused of censoring responses to political questions, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, suggesting changing the subject.
The Chinese foreign ministry has responded, stating that Beijing attaches great importance to data privacy and security and protects it in accordance with the law.