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South Korea Ministries, Police Block DeepSeek Gain Access To

Ahmad Fairbridge edited this page 2025-02-21 13:03:37 +08:00

South Korean ministries and authorities obstructing DeepSeek's access to work computers

South Korean ministries and cops said Thursday they were blocking DeepSeek's access to their computers, after the Chinese AI startup did not react to an information guard dog request about how it manages user details.

DeepSeek introduced its R1 chatbot last month, claiming it matches the capacity of artificial intelligence pacesetters in the United States for a fraction of the financial investment, upending the international industry.

South Korea, in addition to countries such as France and Italy, have actually asked concerns about DeepSeek's data practices, sending a composed demand for details about how the business manages user details.

But after DeepSeek failed to respond to a query from South Korea's information watchdog, bio.rogstecnologia.com.br a variety of ministries verified Thursday they were taking steps to restrict access to prevent prospective leaks of sensitive details through generative AI services.

"Blocking steps for DeepSeek have actually been executed specifically for military job-related PCs with Internet," a defence ministry official told AFP.

The ministry, which oversees active-duty soldiers released against the nuclear-armed North, has likewise "reiterated the security safety measures regarding using generative AI for each system and soldier, considering security and technical issues", it included.

South Korea's authorities told AFP they had also blocked access to DeepSeek, while the trade ministry said that gain access to had been momentarily restricted on all its PCs.

The trade, financing, unification and foreign ministries also all said they had obstructed the app or had actually taken unspecified measures.

- Bans 'not excessive' -

Recently, Italy released an examination into DeepSeek's R1 design and blocked it from processing Italian users' data.

Australia has likewise banned DeepSeek from all federal government gadgets on the guidance of security companies.

Kim Jong-hwa, a professor at Cheju Halla University's artificial intelligence department, told AFP that in the middle of growing competition in between the United States and China he thought "political factors" could be influencing the reaction to DeepSeek-- but said bans were still justified.

"From a technical viewpoint, AI models like ChatGPT likewise face many security-related issues that have not yet been fully dealt with," he said.

"Considered that China operates under a communist regime, I question whether they think about security problems as much as OpenAI does when developing ingenious technologies," he said.

"We can not currently evaluate just how much attention has been paid to security concerns by DeepSeek when establishing its chatbot. Therefore, I think that taking proactive steps is not too excessive."

Beijing on Thursday struck back against the ban, firmly insisting the Chinese government "will never ever need business or individuals to illegally gather or store data".

"China has actually constantly opposed the generalisation of national security and the politicisation of economic, trade and technological problems," foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

Beijing would likewise "securely protect the genuine rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," Guo vowed.

- 'Complex competition' -

DeepSeek says it uses less-advanced H800 chips-- allowed for sale to China until 2023 under US export controls-- to power its big learning model.

South giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are essential providers of innovative chips utilized in AI servers.

The government revealed on Wednesday an additional 34 trillion won ($23.5 billion) financial investment in semiconductors and high-tech markets, with the country's acting president urging Korean tech business to remain versatile.

"Recently, a Chinese company revealed the AI model DeepSeek R1, which provides high efficiency at a low expense, making a fresh effect in the market," acting President Choi Sang-mok said Wednesday.

"The international AI competition might evolve from a simple facilities scale-up rivalry to a more intricate competitors that includes software application abilities and other elements."