International

South Korea suspends DeepSeek service in the country due to security risks

The Government of South Korea suspended the local service of the Chinese Artificial Intelligence (AI) application DeepSeek due to doubts about the data collection system, which are stored on servers in China, and the possibility of leaking sensitive information.

The South Korean Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said on Monday that the service was suspended at 18:00 local time on Saturday (9.00 GMT) and will resume after “improvements” are made in accordance with South Korea’s personal information protection laws.

The measure comes after the PIPC issued an official warning about the Chinese AI model advising against its use and local government ministries and agencies blocked its use.

The warning came after the PIPC sent a query to the startup asking for detailed information about its data collection policy, and said it plans to request cooperation from the Chinese authorities on the matter through official diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, the South Korean car company Hyundai Motor had already restricted its employees’ access to DeepSeek, also about possible leaks of their data.

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The Ministries of Finance and Environment of South Korea announced two weeks ago the blockade, at least provisionally, of DeepSeek, and thus joined those of Foreign Affairs, National Defense and Economy, Trade and Industry, which prevented connecting to this model of the Chinese language from their terminals.

The Interior portfolio had already recommended to ministries and the 17 regional governments of the country to exercise caution against possible data leaks due to the use of DeepSeek in the face of what it considers a non-transparent data storage process by the Chinese startup.

DeepSeek has revolutionized the global AI landscape after its presentation last month of its most recent language model, which has impressed experts for its more efficient and economical performance when compared to the United States competition.

However, its data management has led countries such as Italy or Australia to analyze the service more deeply and impose access restrictions on public institutions arguing risks to national security.

Meanwhile, the Chinese digital giant Tencent, developer of the most popular messaging platform in the country, WeChat, rose more than 6% on the stock market on Monday before the launch of a beta of that application that allows you to make queries on DeepSeek’s R1 artificial intelligence (AI) model.

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Specifically, Tencent securities, the highest value per trading weight of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose 6.15% around 10.00 local time and exceeded Hong Kong $500 ($64.3) per unit for the first time since mid-2021.
At the moment, this beta is only available for the Chinese version of the application, which has more than 1.3 billion users.

In it, it will be possible to select the DeepSeek model apart from the one developed by Tencent, called Hunyuan. This, according to a representative of the company quoted by the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, will allow access “to the full version of the DeepSeek R1 model for free to enjoy a more diverse search experience.”

International

Maduro urges UN to intervene for venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to intervene on behalf of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

During a broadcast on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Maduro claimed these Venezuelans were “kidnapped”, forcibly disappeared, and held in “concentration camps.”

He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for failing to release the list of migrants deported on March 16, who were allegedly accused of belonging to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“Reports say there are 238 Venezuelans kidnapped in prisons, in concentration camps, in El Salvador. A week after they were taken and thrown into these camps, neither the U.S. government nor Nayib Bukele have published the list of those they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro stated, calling it a “forced disappearance.”

International

Canada updates U.S. travel advisory amid immigration policy changes

In a coordinated action with several European allies, Canada has updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the United States, citing changes in immigration policies and law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have issued similar warnings, highlighting stricter border screenings, tighter visa restrictions, and new federal guidelines that particularly affect transgender and non-binary travelers.

These advisories reflect growing diplomatic concerns over how the recent U.S. policy shifts are impacting foreign visitors, especially tourists and long-term travelers. Additionally, this marks a rare instance in which multiple NATO allies publicly warn their citizens about travel to the United States.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on friday

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum next Friday.

According to statements made to Fox News, the Trump administration official will travel this week to El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Noem is scheduled to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, with whom she will tour the mega-prison built to detain gang members in the country.

On Thursday, she will visit Colombia, where she will hold talks with President Gustavo Petro and top law enforcement officials.

On Friday, Noem will be in Mexico, where she is expected to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente.