DeepSeek Faces Global Backlash Amid Surveillance and Misinformation Concerns
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has come under intense scrutiny in several countries due to concerns over its security policies and privacy practices. DeepSeek, which claimed in January to have developed an AI model rivaling ChatGPT at a lower cost, has been found to store numerous pieces of personal data, including requests to its AI program and uploaded files, on computers in China, according to its own privacy policy. Several countries have taken action against DeepSeek, citing concerns over security risks, data safety, and misinformation. Australia was the first to act, banning DeepSeek from all government devices in early February due to security concerns. Germany followed suit, asking Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek from their stores in June, citing concerns about data safety, according to a data protection authority commissioner. In India, the finance ministry instructed employees to avoid using AI tools, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek, for official purposes at the beginning of February, citing risks to the confidentiality of government documents and data. Italy's antitrust watchdog, AGCM, opened an investigation into DeepSeek in mid-June, alleging that the startup failed to warn users that it may produce false information. Earlier in January, Italy blocked the app, citing a lack of information on its use of personal data. In a surprising move, Russia's President Vladimir Putin instructed Sberbank, the country's largest bank, to collaborate with Chinese researchers on joint AI projects in early February, according to a top executive at the bank. South Korea's data protection authority suspended new downloads of the DeepSeek app in mid-February after the startup acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency's rules on protecting personal data. Earlier in February, the industry minister had temporarily blocked employee access to DeepSeek due to security concerns, but the service became available again at the end of April. Finally, Taiwan banned government departments from using DeepSeek's service in February, citing security concerns. DeepSeek's global expansion plans have been severely hindered by these actions, and it remains to be seen how the startup will address these concerns to regain the trust of governments and consumers around the world.
