Australia and Taiwan have both enacted bold measures against the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, citing serious security risks associated with its products. The Australian government announced a complete ban on the use of DeepSeek across all government devices, emphasizing the need to protect national security.
The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs issued a mandatory direction requiring all government entities to “prevent the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services and where found remove all existing instances of DeepSeek products, applications and web services from all Australian Government systems and devices,” according to the official statement.
Risk to national security
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke highlighted that DeepSeek posed an “unacceptable risk” to government technology, stressing that the immediate ban was necessary “to protect Australia’s national security and national interest.” This decisive action follows the global scrutiny of DeepSeek’s impact on tech stocks, which plummeted after the startup’s launch last month. DeepSeek’s lower costs and less sophisticated chip requirements have raised concerns regarding the West’s substantial investments in chipmakers and data centers.
Taiwan’s actions against DeepSeek
Similarly, Taiwan has also taken action against DeepSeek, banning its use in all government departments to safeguard national information security. This decision was made during a cabinet meeting, where Premier Cho Jung-tai stated that the ban was essential to “ensure the country’s information security.” Taiwan’s digital ministry had previously advised against using DeepSeek, but the latest statement marks a stricter approach.
Concerns over censorship and data security
Both Australia and Taiwan have raised alarms about potential censorship issues associated with DeepSeek, along with the risk of sensitive data being transmitted to China. The Taiwanese government has been particularly cautious regarding Chinese technology, given the ongoing military and political threats from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the island.
Previous measures against Chinese tech
Australia’s ban on DeepSeek follows the government’s previous decision to impose a government-wide ban on the Chinese social media app TikTok two years ago, again citing security concerns. As international scrutiny of Chinese technology firms intensifies, both Australia and Taiwan remain vigilant in protecting their national interests.
