Why Top Countries and Agencies are Banning China’s DeepSeek AI

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company, is drawing strong criticism from regulators worldwide. Its viral AI models and chatbot apps have been banned by an increasing number of countries and government bodies, which have raised concerns about DeepSeek’s ethics, privacy, and security practices.

Hundreds of corporations have also opted to ban DeepSeek, largely due to fears of potential data leakage to the Chinese government. According to DeepSeek’s privacy policy, the company stores all user data in China, where local laws require organizations to share data with intelligence officials upon request.

As more regions restrict access to DeepSeek’s apps, we will continue updating this roundup. The list also features the public sector departments that have prohibited DeepSeek technology.

Italy

Following an investigation by Italy’s privacy watchdog into how DeepSeek handles personal data, Italy became one of the first countries to ban the company.

In late January, Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) launched an inquiry into DeepSeek’s data collection practices and its compliance with the GDPR, the EU regulation that governs the retention and processing of personal data. The DPA allotted DeepSeek 20 days to respond to questions about how and where the company stores user data, as well as the purposes for which this data is used.

DeepSeek contended that its apps were not subject to EU law. However, Italy’s DPA disagreed and subsequently removed DeepSeek’s apps from the Apple and Google app stores in Italy.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has determined that DeepSeek “endangers national information security” and, as a result, has prohibited government agencies from using the company’s AI. In its statement, the ministry warned that public sector employees and critical infrastructure facilities face the risk of “cross-border transmission and information leakage” when employing DeepSeek’s technology. This ban extends to government agency staff, as well as public schools and state-owned enterprises.

The statement emphasized, “DeepSeek AI service is a Chinese product. Its operation involves several information security concerns.”

U.S. Congress

U.S. congressional offices have reportedly been cautioned against using DeepSeek technology.

According to Axios, the House’s chief administrative officer (CAO)—which delivers support services and business solutions to the House of Representatives—sent out a notice to congressional offices indicating that DeepSeek technology is currently “under review.”

The notice stated, “[T]hreat actors are already exploiting DeepSeek to deliver malicious software and infect devices.” To address these risks, the House has implemented security measures that restrict DeepSeek’s functionality on all House-issued devices.

Axios further reports that the CAO has prohibited staff from installing DeepSeek applications on any official smartphones, computers, or tablets.

Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order banning software from DeepSeek and other Chinese companies from government-issued devices in the state.

In a statement, Abbott said that Texas “will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state’s critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps. Texas will continue to protect and defend our state from hostile foreign actors.”

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy has instructed its members not to use DeepSeek apps or technology, according to CNBC.

In late January, the Navy sent an email prohibiting service members from using DeepSeek products “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns associated with the [tech’s] origin[s] and usage.” A Navy spokesperson told CNBC the email was in reference to the Department of the Navy’s chief information officer’s generative AI policy and based on an advisory from the Navy’s cyber workforce manager.

In the email, the Navy said it’s “imperative” that members don’t use DeepSeek’s AI “for any work-related tasks or personal use,” and “refrain from downloading, installing, or using [DeepSeek AI].”

Pentagon

The Pentagon has blocked access to DeepSeek technologies, but not before some staff accessed them, Bloomberg reported.

The Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for the Pentagon’s IT networks, moved to ban DeepSeek’s website in January, according to Bloomberg. The decision is said to have come after defense officials raised concerns that Pentagon workers were using DeepSeek’s applications without authorization.

Bloomberg notes that while the prohibition remains in place, Defense Department personnel can use DeepSeek’s AI through Ask Sage, an authorized platform that doesn’t directly connect to Chinese servers.

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NASA

NASA has also banned employees from using DeepSeek tech. That’s according to CNBC, which obtained a memo from the agency’s chief AI officer informing personnel that DeepSeek’s servers operate outside the U.S., raising national security concerns.

“DeepSeek and its products and services are not authorized for use with NASA’s data and information or on government-issued devices and networks,” the memo said, per CNBC. “[Employees are not authorized to] access DeepSeek via NASA devices and agency-managed network connections.”

NASA has blocked use of DeepSeek apps on “agency-managed devices and networks,” CNBC reports.