TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — South Korea has joined Taiwan and Australia in restricting the Chinese AI model DeepSeek, citing security concerns over user data storage and access by the Chinese government.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned that DeepSeek grants advertisers unlimited access to user data and stores that data on Chinese servers, per Reuters.

"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," the NIS said. It added that Chinese law allows authorities to access such data upon request.

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) this month banned all government agencies from using DeepSeek over concerns that data could be transmitted to China. Officials also raised concerns about ideological censorship and the AI model’s responses to sensitive topics.

For example, DeepSeek’s latest version avoids discussing topics deemed sensitive by China, such as Taiwan and Tiananmen Square. When prompted on these issues, it reportedly responds, "Let's talk about something else." When asked about Taiwan, it states, "We adhere to the One-China principle."

South Korea also flagged DeepSeek’s inconsistent responses based on language.

For example, when asked in Korean, DeepSeek said kimchi—whose origin has been a source of contention between South Korea and China—is a Korean food. However, when asked in Chinese, the AI responded that the dish originated in China.

Governments in France, Italy, and Ireland are also investigating DeepSeek for potential security risks.