Deepseek Discovers Shared User Data With TikTok Owner ByteDance: Insights Unveiled

Getty Images South Korea has charged that the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek shared user information with ByteDance, the owner of TikTok in China. “We verified that DeepSeek was communicating with ByteDance,” revealed a statement from the South Korean data protection authority to Yonhap News Agency.

The country had already taken action by removing DeepSeek from app stores over concerns regarding data protection just over the weekend.

DeepSeek caused a stir in January when it was discovered that its new model had been trained at a lower cost than American rivals like ChatGPT. As a result, several nations have warned of inadequate user data safeguards, and last month, US cybersecurity company Security Scorecard accused DeepSeek of potential data sharing with ByteDance.

DeepSeek’s sudden rise propelled it to the top ranks in app stores across the UK, US, and many other countries. However, its rankings now lag far behind ChatGPT in the UK. In South Korea alone, over a million users had downloaded DeepSeek before it was taken off Apple and Google’s App Stores on Saturday evening.

Existing users can still access the app through web browsers. According to South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), which made these claims to Yonhap News Agency, while they have found a connection between ByteDance and DeepSeek, they have not yet confirmed what data was exchanged or in what quantities.

There is ongoing debate regarding Chinas National Intelligence Law, with critics alleging it gives the government carte blanche access to any information from Chinese companies. However, as ByteDance’s headquarters are located in Beijing but owned by a number of global investors, others argue that this law could also provide protections for private firms and personal data.

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The US Supreme Court upheld a ban on TikTok in part due to fears over user data being sent to China. This decision is currently paused until April 5 as President Donald Trump works towards finding an alternative.

On February 10, cybersecurity company Security Scorecard published a blog post about DeepSeek that pointed out “multiple direct references to ByteDance-owned” services. These indications suggested deep integration with ByteDance’s analytics and performance monitoring systems. The review also expressed concerns over privacy risks and potential data transfer from users’ behavior and device metadata.

On Monday, South Koreas PIPC reported that they had discovered “traffic generated by third-party data transfers” along with a lack of transparency in DeepSeek’s privacy policy. They added that while the company was cooperating with their investigation, it acknowledged its failure to account for South Korean privacy laws. The regulator advised users to exercise caution and avoid entering personal information into the app.

South Korea has taken similar actions as Australia and Taiwan by banning DeepSeek from government devices due to data protection concerns. Further developments are expected following responses from PIPC, ByteDance, and High Flyer – parent company of DeepSeek.

Sources:

DeepSeek: The Chinese AI app that has the world talking
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‘Exercise caution’
Topics covered include artificial intelligence, privacy concerns, international relations between China and other countries, cybersecurity threats, data protection laws worldwide.