DeepSeek Reportedly Shared User Data With China’s ByteDance

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, launched its app in January 2025. A couple of weeks later, it conquered the first place in Apple’s App Store downloads for free apps, surpassing ChatGPT. Its arrival also crashed stocks of major AI chip makers like NVIDIA and other tech companies like Microsoft. Since then, DeepSeek has been surrounded by controversies related to its data handling policies. Now, South Korea’s data protection regulator has accused DeepSeek of sharing user data with ByteDance.

South Korea has accused DeepSeek of sharing user data with ByteDance

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), South Korea’s national data protection authority, recently announced it has temporarily halted new downloads of the DeepSeek app over concerns regarding its data collection and sharing practices. The regulator said that DeepSeek’s AI chatbot shared data from its South Korean users with ByteDance, the owner of the popular short video-sharing service TikTok.

The regulator hasn’t confirmed which data ByteDance received and to what extent. It’s worth mentioning that this is the first time the South Korean regulator has confirmed potential leaks of user data by DeepSeek to a third party. As part of South Korean law, an app must obtain explicit consent from a user if it shares their personal information with a third party.

DeepSeek has responded by assigning a representative in South Korea

According to the South Korean media, DeepSeek has assigned a representative in the country. The startup has acknowledged shortcomings in considering local protection laws while also expressing that it will actively cooperate with South Korean regulators. It’s worth adding that South Korea may be the first country to formally accuse DeepSeek of illegally sharing user data with the controversial TikTok owner. However, it is not the only one with data privacy-related concerns.

Italy, France, Germany, the US, Taiwan, Australia, and South Korea—among others—have expressed concerns regarding DeepSeek AI. The company’s servers being in China is the biggest problem for authorities. China’s laws allow the government to ask companies for data from servers located in the country. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for the Chinese AI startup.