Key points
- DeepSeek has been subject to a crackdown by several governments
- South Korea blocked DeepSeek from its military computers
- The US Navy has restricted the use of DeepSeek
ISLAMABAD: Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek has been subject to a crackdown by several governments, including India, the United States, and Australia, with South Korea being the most recent one.
They have expressed increasing concern about the chatbot’s security and data practices, especially on government devices, according to the Economic Times.
“We don’t want to expose government systems to these applications,” said Australian government cyber security envoy Andrew Charlton.
India has, on the other hand, prohibited the use of all AI tools and applications including ChatGPT and DeepSeek on government office computers and devices.
South Korea
The defense ministry announced on Thursday that it had blocked DeepSeek from accessing its internet-connected military computers.
“Blocking measures for DeepSeek have been implemented specifically for military work-related PCs with Internet,” Seoul’s defence ministry told AFP.
This step comes after the country’s Information Protection Commission (PIPC) requested the Chinese AI startup clarify its management of user information.
India
The central government has prohibited its employees from using AI tools and applications such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT on office computers and devices citing “risks for confidentiality of Govt, data and documents”.
“It has been determined that AI tools and AI apps (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek etc) in the office computers and devices pose risks for the confidentiality of Govt, data and documents,” a government memo read according to Times of India.
Australia
Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices following advice from security agencies.
That decision was driven by concerns over privacy risks and potential malware threats allegedly posed by the Chinese AI program, according to Australia.
“This is an action the government has taken on the advice of security agencies. It’s not a symbolic move,” said cyber security envoy Andrew Charlton.
“After considering threat and risk analysis, I have determined that the use of DeepSeek products, applications, and web services poses an unacceptable level of security risk to the Australian Government,” the Home Affairs secretary said.
The US
The American Navy has restricted the use of DeepSeek “for any work-related tasks or personal use.”
In a warning issued by email to “shipmates” on Friday, the Navy said DeepSeek’s AI was not to be used “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns associated with the model’s origin and usage.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Navy confirmed the authenticity of the email and said it was about the Department of the Navy’s Chief Information Officer’s generative AI policy.
Texas was the first state to ban the Chinese AI app. “Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state’s critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps,” it said.
Taiwan
Taiwan said that the government servants would be prohibited from using DeepSeek, citing concerns that the tool could expose important data to Beijing.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has officially classified DeepSeek AI as a Chinese information and communications technology (ICT) product, warning that potential data leaks could cause a national security risk.
As a result, MODA banned the use of DeepSeek across central and local government agencies, public schools, state-owned enterprises, and affiliated institutions.
The ban also applies to individuals working on important infrastructure projects and employees of government-funded foundations.
Italy
It was one of the first countries to ban DeepSeek citing the risk of data breaches for millions of Italians.
“The Authority, considering the potential high risk for the data of millions of people in Italy, has asked the two companies and their affiliates to confirm which personal data are collected, from which sources, for which purposes, what is the legal basis of the processing, and whether they are stored on servers located in China (translated from Italian),” an official press note said.
China’s response
China condemned the move, categorically highlighting its opposition to the “politicisation of economic, trade, and technological issues.”
It criticised Australia for banning the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from government devices over security concerns, according to the Times of India.
“The Chinese government… has never and will never require enterprises or individuals to illegally collect or store data,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
