TAIPEI, Feb 3: Taiwan on Monday has officially banned government departments from using the artificial intelligence (AI) service DeepSeek, developed by the Chinese startup DeepSeek, citing significant security risks. This move escalates last week’s statement which advised against using the service.
Taiwan, which is democratically governed, has long expressed concerns over the use of Chinese technology due to Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the island and ongoing military and political threats against the government in Taipei.
During a cabinet meeting, Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai announced that DeepSeek was banned from all government agencies to ensure the nation’s information security. His office issued a statement highlighting concerns about the potential for censorship on the platform and the risk of sensitive data being transmitted to China.
The digital ministry of Taiwan had initially stated on Friday that government departments should avoid using DeepSeek, but had not explicitly banned its use at that time.
In addition to Taiwan’s actions, authorities in South Korea, France, Italy, Ireland, and several other countries are investigating the AI service due to concerns over its handling of personal data.
