Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority to Hold Global Cybersecurity Forum in Nov.

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
TT
20

Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority to Hold Global Cybersecurity Forum in Nov.

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the

The Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) will hold the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) in Riyadh on November 8-9.

The event will be held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz under the theme “Charting Shared Priorities in Cyberspace”.

It will build directly on the outcomes and insights of the successful 2022 GCF event, aiming to advance the global cyber community towards aligning strategic priorities, expanding future opportunities, and deepening multi-stakeholder engagement.

GCF 2023 seeks to expand dialogue on these diverse challenges and opportunities, advance knowledge generation, and steer collaborative efforts. The forum will be charting the shared priorities through five sub-themes: Cyberspace Amidst Polycrisis, Cyber Growth Unlocked, Across Cyber Divides, Inside Cyber Minds, and Emerging Cyber Horizons.

The GCF was launched in February 2020 during Saudi Arabia’s G20 Presidency as a global platform to build a more resilient and better cyberspace. The platform emphasizes the importance of international collaboration among diverse stakeholders and nations to accomplish this goal.



Downloads of DeepSeek's AI Apps Paused in South Korea Over Privacy Concerns 

People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Downloads of DeepSeek's AI Apps Paused in South Korea Over Privacy Concerns 

People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, South Korean officials said Monday.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps.

The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission’s investigation division, advised South Korean users of DeepSeek to delete the app from their devices or avoid entering personal information into the tool until the issues are resolved.

DeepSeek got worldwide attention last month when it claimed it built its popular chatbot at a fraction of the cost of those made by US companies. The resulting frenzy upended markets and fueled debates over competition between the US and China in developing AI technology.

Many South Korean government agencies and companies have either blocked DeepSeek from their networks or prohibited employees from using the app for work, amid worries that the AI model was gathering too much sensitive information.

The South Korean privacy commission, which began reviewing DeepSeek’s services last month, found that the company lacked transparency about third-party data transfers and potentially collected excessive personal information, Nam said.

Nam said the commission did not have an estimate on the number of DeepSeek users in South Korea. A recent analysis by Wiseapp Retail found that DeepSeek was used by about 1.2 million smartphone users in South Korea during the fourth week of January, emerging as the second-most-popular AI model behind ChatGPT.