Taiwan bans use of 'DeepSeek'... "Concerns over national intelligence leaks"

Major Countries Including Italy and the Netherlands Take Similar Actions

The Taiwanese government has issued a ban on the use of services from the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to all ministries and agencies, citing concerns that data could be leaked to the Chinese government.

According to a report by Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) on the 1st, the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Taiwan imposed the ban on DeepSeek usage for public sector workers the day before.

In a statement, the Ministry of Digital Affairs explained, "DeepSeek AI is an information and communication technology (ICT) product and service from China that involves cross-border (data) transmission, information leakage, and other information security issues, endangering national information security," adding that the measure was taken "to prevent information security risks."

The Ministry further elaborated that, according to the 2019 Executive Yuan regulation titled 'Principles for Restricting the Use of Products that Endanger National Cybersecurity,' government agencies prohibit the use of ICT products and services that may pose risks to national security.

The Taiwanese government's ban on DeepSeek AI applies to employees of central and local government ministries and agencies, public schools, state-owned enterprises, and other quasi-governmental organizations. Additionally, the Ministry of Digital Affairs noted that the ban also applies to personnel involved in critical infrastructure projects and government-owned foundations.

Major countries around the world are wary of potential information leaks. Italy's data protection authority, Garante, blocked the use of DeepSeek starting from the 29th of last month, citing the lack of transparency in personal data usage.

Dutch authorities have also initiated an investigation into DeepSeek's personal data collection and warned their users to exercise caution when using DeepSeek services.

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission plans to send an official inquiry to DeepSeek to verify the items and procedures for personal data collection, as well as the methods of processing and storage.