Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices over concerns that the Chinese artificial intelligence startup poses security risks, the government has said.
The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs issued a mandatory direction for 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," the statement said.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said DeepSeek posed an "unacceptable risk" to government technology and the immediate ban was "to protect Australia's national security and national interest," several Australian media outlets reported.
The ban does not extend to devices of private citizens.
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Asked if it will be issuing any guidance on DeepSeek, the Irish National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it published cybersecurity guidance on generative AI for public sector bodies in June 2023.
"This guidance sets out the risks and challenges in using any generative AI product and includes some advice on their use, including that public versions of GenAI services should not be used for business purposes," a spokesperson said.
"The NCSC keeps an ongoing watch on the risks associated with a wide range of products and services and issues and will provide guidance as appropriate," the NCSC said.
Tech stocks worldwide plunged after the launch of DeepSeek last month - apparently costing a fraction of rival AI models and requiring less sophisticated chips - raised questions over the West's huge investments in chipmakers and data centres.
Australia's decision to ban Deepseek follows similar action in Italy.
Taiwan banned government departments from using DeepSeek earlier this week.
Additional reporting Brian O'Donovan
