In a significant move, Australia has banned the Chinese-developed DeepSeek AI program from all government devices, citing “an unacceptable level of security risk.” The ban follows a comprehensive threat and risk analysis, which led to the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to remove DeepSeek’s products, applications, and web services from all Australian government systems and mobile devices.
Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Stephanie Foster, issued the directive on Tuesday, explaining that the use of DeepSeek’s services posed too great a risk to national security. The order requires all non-corporate Commonwealth entities to identify and eliminate any existing instances of DeepSeek technology from their systems. Additionally, the installation and access of DeepSeek products on government devices must be blocked.
This action follows a growing trend among nations scrutinizing the Chinese AI firm. In recent weeks, countries such as South Korea, Ireland, France, and Italy have raised concerns about DeepSeek’s data handling practices, specifically regarding how the company manages personal data and the sources used to train its AI models.
The controversy surrounding DeepSeek began to intensify when the company unveiled its R1 chatbot, claiming it could rival leading AI technologies at a fraction of the cost. This breakthrough spurred further investigation into the startup’s data practices and led to heightened global security concerns.
Australia’s move aligns with an increasing number of governments worldwide looking to curb potential security risks posed by foreign AI systems. As scrutiny intensifies, the future of DeepSeek in international markets hangs in the balance.
DEEPSEEK-By-Tim-Reckmann-on-CC-NULL.com
