Oct 20 (Reuters) - Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which said in January last year it had developed an AI model to rival ChatGPT at a much lower cost, has come under scrutiny in some countries for its security policies and privacy practices.
The US Department of Homeland Security is ordering the removal of DeepSeek products from civilian agency IT systems, the latest action against the Chinese AI startup.
According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous pieces of personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China.
Below are countries' actions regarding DeepSeek:
AUSTRALIA
In February last year, Australia banned DeepSeek from all government devices over concerns that it posed security risks.
CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czech government banned the country's public administration from using any of the services of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek in July last year, due to data security concerns.
FRANCE
France's privacy watchdog said in January 2025 it will question DeepSeek to gain a better idea of how the Chinese startup's AI system works and any possible privacy risks for users.
GERMANY
Germany has asked Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek from their stores due to concerns about data safety, a data protection authority commissioner said in June last year.
INDIA
India's finance ministry asked its employees at the beginning of February last year to avoid using AI tools including ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes, citing risks posed to confidentiality of government documents and data.
ITALY
Italy's antitrust watchdog AGCM has ended an investigation into the Chinese AI system DeepSeek for allegedly failing to warn users that it may produce false information, agreeing to binding commitments as a condition for closing the case.
Earlier last year, it blocked the app citing a lack of information on its use of personal data.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands' privacy watchdog said in January last year, it would launch an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek's data collection practices and urged Dutch users to exercise caution with the company's software.
The government has also banned civil servants from using the app, citing policy regarding countries with an offensive cyber program, the government spokesperson said in late July.
RUSSIA
Russia's President Vladimir Putin in early February last year instructed Sberbank to collaborate with Chinese researchers on joint AI projects, a top executive at Russia's biggest bank told Reuters.