Seoul: The Ministry of Environment and other government agencies on Thursday initiated measures to block access to the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) service DeepSeek, voicing concerns over the collection of user data.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Ministry of Environment has restricted access to DeepSeek on its internet-connected computers starting from 9 a.m., although similar measures have not been applied to other generative AI services like OpenAI and ChatGPT. A ministry official indicated that intelligence authorities have urged caution in using DeepSeek due to the unclear nature of its personal information collection system.

Additional governmental bodies, including the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and the Ministry of Government Legislation, have also restricted access to DeepSeek. They have raised alarms regarding the potential leakage of personal data to the Chinese service, underscoring the importance of protecting sensitive information.

Following a warning issued by the interior ministry on Tuesday, which advised central government ministries and 17 local governments to exercise caution with generative AIs like DeepSeek, several other ministries, including foreign, trade, defense, and finance, have already taken steps to block access to the Chinese AI service.