South Korean ministries and police said Thursday they were blocking access to DeepSeek on work computers after the Chinese artificial intelligence startup did not respond to a data watchdog request about how it manages user information.
DeepSeek launched its R1 chatbot last month, claiming it matches the capacity of AI pacesetters in the United States at a fraction of the investment, upending the global industry.
South Korea, along with countries such as France and Italy, have asked questions about DeepSeek's data practices, submitting a written request for information about how the company handles user information.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.