Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek banned from government devices over security fears

The Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, which garnered international attention last month, has recently been banned from use on federal government computers and mobile devices. The reason cited is that the software is considered to pose an "unacceptable risk" to national security. This ChatGPT competitor had previously become the most downloaded app in the Apple App Store after briefly wiping out billions of dollars in Wall Street's market capitalization.

Under the new ban, all government departments, with the exception of corporate entities such as Australia Post and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), must immediately remove all DeepSeek products from their devices. They must also block access to DeepSeek products and report to the government upon completion. However, employees can still use the program on their personal devices.

DeepSeek represents China's initial foray into the artificial intelligence market. Its latest model, released in January of this year, quickly gained popularity, raising concerns about data security and government censorship. The government stated that the decision was made based on the advice of national security and intelligence agencies, which believe the platform poses an "unacceptable risk" to Australian government technology.

Similarly, the social media application TikTok was also banned from use on government devices in 2023, also due to concerns about security and potential use for foreign interference. TikTok is also owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Tuesday that the government is "agnostic about nationality" when making such decisions, and is instead "focused on the risk to the Australian government and its assets." He stated: "AI is a technology full of potential and opportunity, but when our agencies identify a national security risk, the government will not hesitate to act."

Associate Professor Dana McKay from RMIT's School of Computing Technologies stated that DeepSeek is required to provide the data it collects to the Chinese government. She said: "It does collect everything you do when you access DeepSeek. Things like keystroke patterns and the way we type are actually as unique as a fingerprint, so it can basically identify you." She also stated that if the app is installed on your computer, it can request root or administrator access, "which means it can access pretty much everything on your computer."

Andrew Charlton, the government's cybersecurity envoy, stated that the software raised "serious concerns about data security and potential vulnerabilities in government systems." Charlton said that while the ban only applies to government devices, the public should be aware. "The government's advice is that people should exercise caution when using DeepSeek," he said. "We advise people not to click on links that could lead to malware, not to upload any information they don't want to be made public, and not to rely on the accuracy of any information provided by generative AI." DeepSeek has been contacted for comment.