Czech authorities have prohibited the use of AI chatbot Deepseek.
In a series of preemptive measures, several countries and federal agencies have prohibited the use of the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, citing serious data protection and national security concerns.
The national authority for cyber and information security in the United States has analysed the app and found it unsuitable for use by federal agencies, including NASA and the Department of Defense. Similar bans have been imposed by governments in the Czech Republic, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea, among others.
Key reasons for these bans include the illegal transfer of user data to China, lack of data protection equivalence, non-cooperation with regulators, national security and cybersecurity risks, and the risk of harmful and biased content.
Regulators in countries like Germany and Italy have accused DeepSeek of sending personal data of their citizens to China, which violates European Union data protection laws. The Chinese legal framework requires companies to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies, raising fears that user data could be accessed by Chinese authorities.
German data protection authorities have highlighted that DeepSeek had failed to prove that personal data of users inside China is protected to the same level as in the European Union. Users of DeepSeek in China also do not enjoy equivalent enforceable rights and effective remedies, making data protection inadequate.
Italy banned DeepSeek after the company refused to cooperate with the Italian data protection authority's requests for information regarding data processing practices. The Czech Republic banned DeepSeek in all state administration settings following warnings from its national cybersecurity watchdog. Officials cited risks of unauthorized data access and the obligation of the company to cooperate with Chinese state authorities as reasons.
Beyond data privacy, studies have shown that DeepSeek's AI model (DeepSeek-R1) is susceptible to generating harmful or biased content, raising additional safety concerns.
The bans on DeepSeek are a significant step towards strengthening the cybersecurity of the affected countries. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, made the announcement after a cabinet meeting in Prague.
It is important to note that these bans apply to all products and web services of the AI developer DeepSeek. However, the article does not specify any alternatives to DeepSeek that have been approved for use by the US federal agencies that have banned the chatbot.
As governments and institutions continue to grapple with the implications of using AI technologies, the bans on DeepSeek serve as a reminder of the importance of data protection and national security in the digital age.
The national authority for cyber and information security in the United States has analyzed the app and found it unsuitable for use by federal agencies due to cybersecurity risks. Similar bans on the use of the DeepSeek AI chatbot have been imposed by various governments, such as Australia and South Korea, primarily because of concerns related to technology, including data protection and national security risks.
