Chinese AI startup DeepSeek quickly gained global attention after its launch, but all of about it is not positive. Its AI model R1 has become one of the most downloaded applications worldwide amid concerns about security and data privacy. Some governments have placed a ban on it while others are investigating the operations. The primary issue stems from data-sharing laws of China that allow the government to access information collected by Chinese tech companies. This has raised fears that the model could be used for surveillance, data harvesting or spreading biased as well as harmful content.
Taiwan was among the first to take action and banned DeepSeek from government agencies and critical infrastructure. The island has long been cautious about Chinese technology due to territorial claims of Beijing.
There is no nationwide ban yet in the United States, but Texas became the first state to prohibit its use on government-issued devices. Governor Greg Abbott justified the move by saying Texas would not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate infrastructure of the state through AI tools. Texas simultaneously also banned other Chinese-owned social media apps. The U.S. Navy and NASA have also issued internal bans to prevent employees from using DeepSeek for work-related or personal purposes due to security concerns.
Italy took the strongest stance against DeepSeek so far and became the first country to completely block the AI model. Italian data protection authority ordered a ban on its operations in the country and argued that DeepSeek had refused to comply with requests for information.
Other European and Asian countries are closely monitoring the situation. Authorities in Belgium, Ireland, France and South Korea have indicated plans to question DeepSeek about the way it manages personal data.