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Author: Jeremy Huang

DeepSeek is a Chinese artificial intelligence company headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Since its establishment in 2023, it has rapidly gained global attention. The company specializes in developing large language models, with its DeepSeek-R1 model launching in January 2025. This model sparked market discussions due to its efficiency and lower cost compared to OpenAI’s GPT-4. However, DeepSeek's rapid rise has also raised concerns over data privacy and content censorship.

DeepSeek’s data collection policies have drawn scrutiny from multiple government agencies worldwide. According to its privacy policy, the platform collects user chat records, search queries, device information, IP addresses, and even keyboard input patterns. Additionally, user data is processed on servers located in China. If government officials use DeepSeek while working, there is a risk of sensitive information leakage, potentially leading to national security threats.

DeepSeek strictly adheres to China's content censorship policies. A test conducted by The Guardian found that the chatbot avoids answering questions related to certain political events. In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), Isabel Hou, Secretary-General of Taiwan AI Academy, stated that DeepSeek follows Chinese government regulations, prohibiting Chinese users from asking about sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen incident or Taiwan's national status. However, global users outside China also find themselves unable to ask questions related to these topics.

Global Responses to DeepSeek

Due to cybersecurity concerns, several countries have taken action against DeepSeek:

• Italy: The Italian data protection authority, Garante, was the first to remove DeepSeek from app stores and launched an investigation into its data collection practices, citing a lack of transparency regarding data storage and processing.
• United States: U.S. lawmakers are pushing for legislation to ban the use of DeepSeek on government devices, citing national security risks. Agencies such as NASA and the U.S. Navy have already prohibited their employees from using it.
• South Korea: According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has removed DeepSeek from app stores and banned its use on government and state-owned enterprise devices, citing non-compliance with local data protection laws.
• Australia: The Australian government has completely blocked the use of DeepSeek in government systems, citing national security concerns.
• Taiwan: Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs announced a ban on the use of DeepSeek AI services by government agencies due to concerns over national cybersecurity.
• European Union: Several EU member states, including France and Ireland, are investigating whether DeepSeek violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has urged member states to coordinate their responses.

While DeepSeek’s advancements in model training have contributed to the progress of generative AI, its security risks and censorship policies have prompted regulatory actions from multiple governments. As countries seek a balance between technological innovation and information security, DeepSeek's ability to address these concerns with transparency and accountability remains under close scrutiny

Reference:

1. 公務機關不得使用Deepseek AI 服務以防範資安風險
2. Chatbot vs national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns
3. DeepSeek sent S. Korean user data to China's ByteDance: regulator | Yonhap News Agency
4. Analysis: DeepSeek’s AI is giving the world a window into Chinese censorship and information control | CNN
5. We tried out DeepSeek. It worked well, until we asked it about Tiananmen Square and Taiwan
6. DeepSeek 'shared user data' with TikTok owner ByteDance
7. International regulators probe how DeepSeek is using data. Is the app safe to use? : NPR
8. DeepSeek seems to struggle with questions that would upset Chinese authorities | CBC News
9. Which countries have banned DeepSeek and why? | Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera
10. DeepSeek May Face Further Regulatory Actions, EU Privacy Watchdog Says
11. These nations are banning DeepSeek AI - here's why | ZDNET