Australian security agencies have raised alarms over DeepSeek, a chatbot developed by a China-based startup, prompting a ban on its use across all government devices.
The directive follows warnings that the app could expose sensitive systems to privacy breaches and malware threats.
According to Andrew Charlton, the government's cyber security envoy,
“We don't want to expose government systems to these applications.”
The decision, taken on the advice of national security experts, reflects worries that information uploaded via DeepSeek may not remain private and could be vulnerable to malware.
Stephanie Foster, the Department of Home Affairs Secretary, confirmed that an “unacceptable level of security risk” had been identified.
As a result, all non-corporate Commonwealth entities have been instructed to remove any instances of DeepSeek from their systems and mobile devices.
DeepSeek, which has garnered attention for matching the performance of leading US AI technologies at a fraction of the cost, has also faced scrutiny abroad.
Countries including South Korea, Italy, France, Ireland, and Taiwan have voiced concerns over its data handling practices.
Cyber security researcher Dana Mckay from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology noted,
“All Chinese companies are required to store their data in China. And all of that data is subject to inspection by the Chinese government.”
Mckay also pointed out that DeepSeek’s privacy policy reveals it collects keystroke data, which could potentially be used to identify individuals.
The move against DeepSeek follows similar actions in Italy and Taiwan, and echoes past decisions such as the 2018 ban of Huawei in Australia and the 2023 prohibition of TikTok on government devices.
These measures are part of a broader pattern of heightened vigilance over foreign technologies amid longstanding tech and trade disputes between China and Australia.
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