On February 17, the South Korean Personal Information Commission (PIPC) accused DeepSeek of sharing data through its AI chatbot to ByteDance, this TikTok connection to DeepSeek lead to the block of the bot and raised privacy concerns.
“We confirmed DeepSeek communicating with ByteDance,” an official at PIPC told Yonhap News Agency, adding that it is “yet to confirm what data was transferred and to what extent.”
As PIPC stated, the DeepSeek, TikTok and China connection was identified through DeepSeek’s usage of the could service of ByteDance, the Volcano Engine which facilitates data transfer. This has led to the temporarily suspension of new downloads of the DeepSeek app in South Korea on Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening, all thanks to the mutual connection of TikTok with the app.
DeepSeek did not respond directly to the accusations made against them, but they supposedly accepted that they have “shortcomings in considering local protection laws” and promised to work with the authorities on the matter.
A Dynamic Duo Against China
South Korea was the first to officially accuse DeepSeek of illegally transferring users’ information to TikTok’s parent company which has created the idea of the mutual connections of TikTok, to face responsibility for DeepSeek privacy policy.
DeepSeek created a shock in the world since it launched in January. Within 48 hours, 12 million users downloaded the app, leading suspicion from governments over its data habits. Italy, France, Germany, the US, Taiwan, Australia, and South Korea, all of which are investigating DeepSeek AI for breaching national data protection laws.
The main issue is the mutual connections of TikTok with the apps store and all user data on Chinese servers.
DeepSeek’s privacy policy informs users that such data can be applied to “comply with our legal obligations, or as necessary to perform tasks in the public interest, or to protect the vital interests of our users and other people.”
South Korea’s PIPC allegations are intensifying Western governments’ worries on how Chinese companies handle foreign user data.
Meanwhile, the TikTok connection to the US remains under scrutiny. Although the app has been returned to app stores, a new ban is to take effect on April 5 unless a deal is reached. Fears that American data will be accessible to the Chinese government continue to drive efforts to restrict the platform.
The DeepSeek ban in the US and South Korea could be the beginning of a great tech relationship between the two nations, specifically in AI and cybersecurity. Both countries are longing for Chinese AI alternatives, which could lead to investing in a joint research, data protection, and even AI-driven innovations. This doesn’t only stop here as long as there is no connection of TikTok, whatsoever, both countries would be protecting their users from ‘leaking information’.
The mutual relationship between the US and South Korea could be built on this TikTok connection to DeepSeek which could aid on the innovations of bigger projects for the tech world.
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