South Korea DeepSeek Ban Boosts US AI Dominance

South Korea’s data protection authority has halted new downloads of the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek, citing concerns over its compliance with national privacy laws. The move, announced by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) on Monday, has raised speculation about whether the decision is purely regulatory or part of broader tech competition dynamics.

According to the PIPC, DeepSeek acknowledged that it had not fully considered certain aspects of South Korea’s data protection regulations. The commission stated that the app’s web-based service remains accessible, but new installations have been suspended since Saturday. The restriction will be lifted once the company aligns its policies with local privacy laws, the PIPC added.

DeepSeek, which recently appointed legal representatives in South Korea, is not the only AI service facing scrutiny. Last month, Italy’s data protection authority, Garante, ordered the company to block its chatbot services in the country due to privacy concerns.

While officials maintain that the decision is rooted in data security, some observers suggest that restrictions on DeepSeek could be linked to growing tensions in the global AI race. Critics argue that such measures may be part of an effort to limit the expansion of Chinese AI firms, thereby maintaining the dominance of U.S.-based tech giants in international markets.

DeepSeek has not yet issued a statement regarding the suspension. Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry responded to South Korea’s regulatory action, emphasizing that Beijing values data privacy and security. A spokesperson reaffirmed that the Chinese government does not require companies to collect or store data in violation of legal frameworks.

As the competition in artificial intelligence intensifies, actions like these are fueling debates over whether regulatory crackdowns are solely about privacy or if they reflect broader geopolitical and economic rivalries in the tech sector.

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