A Chinese AI company, DeepSeek, is facing a growing list of bans worldwide due to concerns over its ethics, privacy, and security practices. Corporations have banned the company, too, with hundreds reportedly affected. The biggest worry is potential data leakage to the Chinese government.
According to DeepSeek’s privacy policy, all user data is stored in China, where local laws require organizations to share data with intelligence officials upon request. Italy became one of the first countries to ban DeepSeek after an investigation by its data watchdog found the company’s handling of personal data was non-compliant with EU law.
Other countries and US regulators have followed suit, including Taiwan, the US Congress, Texas, the US Navy, and the Pentagon. The bans are due to concerns over national security, as well as the risk of cross-border transmission and information leakage.
The Taiwanese government has banned government agencies from using DeepSeek’s technology, citing several information security concerns. In the US, congressional offices have been warned not to use DeepSeek tech, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued an order banning software from DeepSeek and other Chinese companies from government-issued devices.
NASA has also banned employees from using DeepSeek tech, citing national security concerns over its servers operating outside of the US. The US Navy has instructed its members not to use DeepSeek apps or technology due to potential security and ethical concerns associated with its origin and usage.
As the list of regions where DeepSeek’s apps are no longer available grows, regulators continue to scrutinize the company’s practices.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/03/deepseek-the-countries-and-agencies-that-have-banned-the-ai-companys-tech