Governments and regulators around the world are increasing scrutiny of Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, citing concerns over data security, privacy, and national safety.
DeepSeek said in January that it had developed an AI model capable of rivaling ChatGPT at a much lower cost. However, its privacy policy states that it stores user data, including prompts and uploaded files, on servers located in China. This has raised concerns among regulators in several countries.
Australia banned DeepSeek from all government devices in early February, saying the app posed security risks. Taiwan took similar action, barring government departments from using the service and warning about possible censorship and the risk of data being transferred to China.
Several European countries have also moved against the company. The Czech Republic banned public administration bodies from using DeepSeek in July due to data security concerns. Germany has asked Apple and Google to remove the app from their stores, according to a data protection authority. France’s privacy watchdog said it would question the company to better understand how its system works and assess any privacy risks.
In Italy, regulators blocked the app in January 2025 after citing a lack of clarity over how personal data is used. The country’s antitrust authority later closed an investigation into the service after DeepSeek agreed to binding commitments related to misleading information risks. The Netherlands has launched an investigation into the company’s data collection practices and has banned civil servants from using the app.
In Asia, South Korea temporarily suspended new downloads of DeepSeek in February after the company acknowledged failing to meet some data protection rules. Access was restored later in April. India’s finance ministry has advised government employees not to use AI tools such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT for official work, warning of risks to confidential information.
In the United States, the Trump administration is considering penalties that could block DeepSeek from buying US technology and may restrict Americans’ access to its services. Lawmakers have urged the Pentagon to add DeepSeek to a list of Chinese firms accused of assisting the Chinese military, while others have asked regulators to assess potential data security risks linked to Chinese AI models.
Russia has taken a different approach. President Vladimir Putin has instructed state-owned lender Sberbank to work with Chinese researchers on joint AI projects, according to a senior bank executive.
DeepSeek has not publicly responded to all the actions taken by governments. As scrutiny grows, the company faces increasing pressure over how it handles user data and complies with international privacy and security standards.
