Taiwan issues DeepSeek AI public sector ban due to security concerns

Taipei, Jan. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said Friday that public sector workers will be banned from using DeepSeek, a recently released Chinese artificial intelligence model, due to concerns over data leaks to the Chinese government.

In a press release, MODA said DeepSeek AI is a Chinese ICT product and service and warned that potential data leaks could pose a national security risk.

MODA said the ban applies to employees of central and local government agencies, public schools, state-owned enterprises and other semi-official organizations but did not elaborate on specifics or enforcement measures.

MODA added that the ban also applies to those working on critical infrastructure projects and in government-endowed foundations.

MODA cited the 2019 Executive Yuan regulation, "Principles on Restricting the Use of Products That Endanger National Cyber Security," which prohibits government agencies from using ICT products and services that may pose a national security risk.

Taiwan's public sector ban on the Chinese chatbot came days after several governments worldwide moved to restrict employee access to the software.

Italy's data protection authority announced Thursday that it had blocked the Chinese AI model DeepSeek due to a lack of transparency regarding its use of personal data.

U.S. and Australian officials have also raised privacy concerns.

The Chinese chatbot recently shook up the global tech market with its AI model, which is said to rival American products despite relying on inferior chips.