South Korea has become the latest country to ban DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence chatbot from local app stores, pending a review of how the Chinese company handles user data.

South Korea’s data protection watchdog said DeepSeek and its R1 chatbot had been removed from local versions of Google Play and Apple App Store and it would become available when “improvements and remedies” were made to ensure compliance with personal data protection laws.

South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok recently called DeepSeek a “fresh shock” that could reshape the country’s industrial landscape. The Chinese startup’s R1 model rocked Silicon Valley when it was released in January.

DeepSeek is facing regulatory hurdles in several countries. Taiwan’s ministry of digital affairs has blocked government departments from using DeepSeek programmes while blaming security risks.

The Australian government has banned the app not because of its Chinese origins but for the “unacceptable risk” it poses to national security. Government entities are prevented from “the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services” as well as removing any previously installed R1 model on any government system or device.

Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) began an investigation into DeepSeek’s data collection practices and compliance with the GDPR, the EU law that governs how personal data is retained and processed in EU territories.

Though the US government has not issued a blanket ban on DeepSeek, regulatory decisions are being taken at state and organisation levels. The state of New York has banned the Chinese AI assistant on government devices. Texas has launched an investigation into the company over privacy concerns.

“DeepSeek appears to be no more than a proxy for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to undermine American AI dominance and steal the data of our citizens,” Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton has said in a statement. Last month he directed that DeepSeek’s platform be banned on all devices of his office. The US navy too has reportedly instructed its members to avoid using the AI technology. Nasa and the Pentagon have taken similar steps.