Governments block Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek citing privacy and security risks
Multiple governments have blocked or restricted the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, with cybersecurity companies warning of potential risks to personal data protection and privacy. The concerns center on possible data collection without consent, vulnerability to misuse, and lack of ethical safeguards in the open-source model.
What happened
Multiple countries have blocked or prohibited the use of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot and model, citing security and privacy concerns. Cybersecurity companies including Panda Security and ESET have published reports warning of risks posed by the technology to personal data protection and privacy rights.
Reported impact
Panda Security warned that changes in AI policies could lead to catastrophic consequences including mass manipulation through disinformation campaigns, increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, and data collection without prior consent that would erode fundamental privacy rights. ESET's research director noted the model is under intense scrutiny from the cybersecurity community due to privacy concerns, vulnerabilities, and practices.
Index analysis
Experts and companies emphasized the significance of open-source AI models and warned that lack of regulation and control could enable actors with advanced knowledge to use the technology for malicious purposes. Panda Security noted that regulation cannot be an isolated effort by individual countries, as AI is a global technology with development without ethical limits that transcends borders.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.