South Korea’s intelligence agency has raised alarms over the Chinese AI app DeepSeek after discovering secret data-tracking practices and inconsistent cultural responses. Officials noted that the app records keystroke patterns and delivers varied answers on topics such as kimchi origins, prompting immediate government action and nationwide security reviews recently confirmed.
According to South Korea’s spy service, the Chinese AI app DeepSeek has been accused of “excessively” collecting personal data and training itself using all input data. It has also raised concerns about the app’s handling of inquiries about patriotism.
Last Monday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) formally notified government agencies to take security measures regarding the AI app.
“Unlike other generative AI services, it has been confirmed that chat records are transferable as it includes a function to collect keyboard input patterns that can identify individuals and communicate with Chinese companies’ servers such as volceapplog.com,” the agency said in a statement released on Sunday.
Joining Taiwan and Australia in warning against or restricting DeepSeek, some South Korean government ministries have barred access to the app, opens new tab, citing security concerns.
According to the NIS, DeepSeek saves South Korean users’ data on servers in China and offers advertisers unfettered access to user data. The news organization went on to say that the Chinese government may legally obtain this data if asked.
According to the NIS, DeepSeek also gave different responses in different languages to topics that could be considered sensitive.
It used the issue about where the spicy fermented dish kimchi, which is a mainstay in South Korea, came from as an example of one such query.
According to the NIS, the app claimed that kimchi is a Korean cuisine when users asked about it in Korean.
It claimed the dish’s Chinese origins when asked the same question in Chinese. According to Reuters, DeepSeek’s answers were accurate.
In recent years, kimchi’s origin has been a point of debate between Chinese and South Korean social media users.
When users asked political queries on topics like the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, DeepSeek allegedly suggested altering the subject in an effort to suppress the users’ answers. “Let’s talk about something else.”
A representative from the Chinese foreign ministry stated during a briefing on February 6 that the Chinese government placed a high value on data privacy and security and ensured its protection in compliance with the law in response to a question regarding the actions taken by South Korean government agencies to block DeepSeek.
In addition, the spokesman assured the public that Beijing would never knowingly request illegal data collection or storage from any entity.
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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