Why has Australia banned DeepSeek? The Australian government has banned the use of DeepSeek across all federal government devices and systems, citing national security risks. The new ban mandates the removal of all DeepSeek products, applications, and web services from government technology infrastructure. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasised that the decision is based […]
Why has Australia banned DeepSeek?
The Australian government has banned the use of DeepSeek across all federal government devices and systems, citing national security risks.
The new ban mandates the removal of all DeepSeek products, applications, and web services from government technology infrastructure.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasised that the decision is based solely on security considerations, stating: “Our approach is country-agnostic and focused on the risk to the Australian Government and our assets.”
He added that while AI offers substantial potential and opportunities, the government will act decisively when national security is at stake.
The ban doesn’t extend to private citizens who can still use DeepSeek on personal devices. However, the government has advised caution due to potential data privacy and security concerns.
DeepSeek recently gained international attention after releasing its R1 AI assistant, a chatbot comparable to OpenAI’s ChatGPT that destabilised Big Tech and disrupted markets worldwide.
Australian semiconductor firm BrainChip, which specialises in neuromorphic AI technology, saw its stock value decline sharply following the news.
Read more: DeepSeek R1: Five key takeaways from GenAI’s “Sputnik moment”
DeepSeek’s global impact and security concerns
Notably, DeepSeek’s model operates at a fraction of the cost of its US counterparts, leading to significant disruptions in global tech markets and raising questions about data security and government censorship.
A recent Cisco study revealed that DeepSeek’s R1 model failed to block any harmful prompts during testing, resulting in a 100% attack success rate, making the model highly susceptible to misuse.
The study suggests that DeepSeek’s cost-efficient training methods may have compromised its safety features, underscoring the need for rigorous security evaluations in AI development.
Australia joins a growing list of countries and organisations that are implementing restrictions on DeepSeek. After investigating its data collection practices, Italy was among the first to ban the app.
Similarly, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has prohibited government agencies from using DeepSeek, citing national information security concerns. In the US, the Pentagon and NASA have also restricted the use of DeepSeek technology due to potential security and ethical issues.
This move reflects a broader global apprehension regarding the security implications of foreign-developed AI applications, particularly those originating from China.
The Australian government has previously taken similar actions, including the 2023 ban on social media app TikTok from government devices over security concerns.
