Hundreds of companies and governments block access to DeepSeek over data security fears
Hundreds of companies and government agencies worldwide have blocked employee access to Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, reportedly citing concerns about potential data leakage to the Chinese government and inadequate privacy protections. Italy's data protection agency launched an investigation into DeepSeek's data practices and temporarily blocked access to the service.
What happened
Hundreds of companies and government agencies have blocked employee access to DeepSeek, reportedly over concerns about potential data leakage to the Chinese government and weak privacy protections.
DeepSeek's privacy terms state that the company collects keystrokes, text and audio input, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, and other user content, which is stored on servers located in China and can be shared with law enforcement and local public authorities.
Italy's data protection authority (GPDP) launched an investigation into DeepSeek after receiving responses it deemed inadequate, and temporarily blocked access to the service.
Reported impact
Approximately 70 percent of Armis Inc. clients requested that DeepSeek be blocked, and 52 percent of Netskope clients completely blocked access to the platform.
The U.S. Department of Defense blocked access to DeepSeek, and the service remains popular despite growing data security concerns, topping Apple App Store downloads.
Index analysis
Security researchers and company officers expressed concern about the potential for user data collected by DeepSeek to be accessed by the Chinese government and the lack of user control over where their information is stored.
Companies and government agencies cited weak privacy protections and the location of data storage in China as primary reasons for blocking the service.
Governance controls
Italy's data protection authority initiated a formal investigation into DeepSeek's data handling practices and implemented a temporary blocking measure.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.