Taiwan has prohibited employees in the public sector and at essential infrastructure sites from utilizing DeepSeek, citing concerns that it is a Chinese product that may jeopardize national security.
DeepSeek introduced its R1 chatbot last month, asserting that it rivals the capabilities of leading artificial intelligence entities in the United States while requiring only a fraction of the investment.
Several nations, including South Korea, Ireland, France, Australia, and Italy, have expressed concerns regarding the data management practices of the Chinese AI startup.
On Friday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs announced that all government entities and critical infrastructure should refrain from using DeepSeek, as it “poses a threat to national information security.”
The ministry stated, “DeepSeek AI service is a Chinese product,” highlighting that its operations involve cross-border data transmission and potential information leakage, raising significant security issues.
Taiwan has consistently accused China of employing “grey zone” strategies—actions that do not constitute outright warfare—against the island, including cyberattacks, as Beijing continues to assert its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan.
Since 2019, Taiwan has prohibited government agencies from utilizing information and communication technology products and services that could endanger “national information security.”
This week, DeepSeek caused a stir on Wall Street with its advanced chatbot, which is believed to have comparable capabilities to those of U.S. companies but at a significantly lower cost.
