Home > National > Social Affairs

DeepSeek banned in Korean schools over privacy concerns

Published: 07 Feb. 2025, 12:24 Updated: 07 Feb. 2025, 14:03

China's DeepSeek [DEEPSEEK]

DeepSeek's AI chatbot has been banned in schools nationwide, including kindergartens, due to security and privacy concerns.

"Access to DeepSeek will be restricted at the ministry's headquarters, affiliated organizations and schools until its safety, including privacy protection, is verified," the Ministry of Education said Thursday night.

The decision came just half a day after the ministry issued AI-related security guidelines to city and provincial education offices and universities on Thursday morning. The initial guidelines advised institutions to refrain from using generative AI due to data leakage risks without mandating a ban or naming DeepSeek specifically.

"All generative AI platforms carry risks related to data misuse, but DeepSeek raises greater security concerns due to its extensive data collection, storage on Chinese servers, and China's legal requirement to provide government access to stored information," said a security official affiliated with the ministry.

The official further warned that in the case of schools, DeepSeek could collect sensitive personal data, including user device information, IP addresses, keystroke patterns and rhythms, as well as student and faculty learning behavior and performance data.

While universities and colleges will still be allowed to use DeepSeek for academic research and educational purposes, the ministry emphasized that security precautions must be in place.

BY CHOI MIN-JI,WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]