Taiwan and Italy impose restrictions on DeepSeek AI
Taiwan's government banned the Chinese DeepSeek AI app from public sector use citing national information security risks, and Italy's data protection authority ordered an urgent blocking of the service pending information about user data handling. Regulators in South Korea, France, and Ireland also sought clarification on the company's data practices.
What happened
Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs prohibited government agencies and essential infrastructure from using the Chinese AI application DeepSeek R-1, citing risks to national information security.
The Italian Personal Data Protection Authority ordered an urgent, immediate blocking of DeepSeek after the company failed to provide requested information about how it handles user data.
Regulators in South Korea, France, and Ireland requested information about DeepSeek's user data handling practices.
Reported impact
Taiwan cited concerns about international data transmissions, information leaks, and other information security risks associated with DeepSeek's operations.
The restrictions prevent government employees and critical infrastructure operators from accessing the application in affected countries.
Index analysis
The incident reflects broader concerns among multiple jurisdictions regarding how Chinese AI providers handle personal data and the security implications for government systems.
The swift regulatory action across multiple countries suggests coordinated concerns about data privacy and potential national security risks from the deployment of foreign AI systems.
Governance controls
Taiwan has maintained a policy since 2019 prohibiting government agencies from using information and communication technology products considered a threat to national information security.
Italy's data protection authority exercised its enforcement powers by ordering an immediate blocking of the service pending receipt of compliance information.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.