Australia will move to ban the controversial Chinese AI company DeepSeek from all of its government systems and devices on national security grounds.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dropped the bombshell on Tuesday night after the start-up sent stock markets into meltdown in recent weeks.
The announcement does not represent a ban for everyday users who may choose to use the technology but does raise serious privacy and national security concerns.
It is a similar regime that currently operates TikTok, where the technology is now used on government devices but some politicians do have private accounts.
“The Albanese Government is taking swift and decisive action to protect Australia’s national security and national interest,‘’ Mr Burke said.
“AI is a technology full of potential and opportunity – but the Government will not hesitate to act when our agencies identify a national security risk.
“Our approach is country-agnostic and focused on the risk to the Australian Government and our assets.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dropped the bombshell on Tuesday night after the start-up sent stock markets into meltdown in recent weeks. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Which other countries have banned DeepSeek?
Italy was one of the first countries to ban DeepSeek following an investigation by the country’s privacy watchdog, Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA).
In response, DeepSeek claimed its apps didn’t fall under the jurisdiction of EU law prompting Italy to remove DeepSeek’s apps from the Apple and Google app stores in Italy.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has also claimed that DeepSeek “endangers national information security” and has banned government agencies from using the company’s AI.
U.S. congressional offices have also reportedly been warned not to use DeepSeek tech.
“To mitigate these risks, the House has taken security measures to restrict DeepSeek’s functionality on all House-issued devices,” The House’s chief administrative officer (CAO) said.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has banned software including DeepSeek and other Chinese companies from government-issued devices in the state.
NASA has also banned employees from using DeepSeek technology citing national security concerns.
“DeepSeek and its products and services are not authorised for use with NASA’s data and information or on government-issued devices and networks,” the memo said, per CNBC. “[Employees are not authorised to] access DeepSeek via NASA devices and agency-managed network connections.”
Ed Husic’s warning
The announcement follows a warning from Federal Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic against downloading DeepSeek.
Speaking to the ABC, Mr Husic said DeepSeek’s advancements in the field was evidence of China’s “determination in this space”.
“China has been determined since the last decade to be a world leader in artificial intelligence,” he said.
“It doesn’t come as a surprise that they would try to develop a workaround to some of the restrictions that have been placed on them.”
“I would be very careful about that,” he said.
“I don’t have TikTok on my government phone. I think these types of issues have got to be weighed up carefully.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dropped the bombshell on Tuesday night after the start-up sent stock markets into meltdown in recent weeks.
The announcement does not represent a ban for everyday users who may choose to use the technology but does raise serious privacy and national security concerns.
It is a similar regime that currently operates TikTok, where the technology is now used on government devices but some politicians do have private accounts.
“The Albanese Government is taking swift and decisive action to protect Australia’s national security and national interest,‘’ Mr Burke said.
“AI is a technology full of potential and opportunity – but the Government will not hesitate to act when our agencies identify a national security risk.
“Our approach is country-agnostic and focused on the risk to the Australian Government and our assets.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dropped the bombshell on Tuesday night after the start-up sent stock markets into meltdown in recent weeks. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Which other countries have banned DeepSeek?
Italy was one of the first countries to ban DeepSeek following an investigation by the country’s privacy watchdog, Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA).
In response, DeepSeek claimed its apps didn’t fall under the jurisdiction of EU law prompting Italy to remove DeepSeek’s apps from the Apple and Google app stores in Italy.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has also claimed that DeepSeek “endangers national information security” and has banned government agencies from using the company’s AI.
U.S. congressional offices have also reportedly been warned not to use DeepSeek tech.
“To mitigate these risks, the House has taken security measures to restrict DeepSeek’s functionality on all House-issued devices,” The House’s chief administrative officer (CAO) said.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has banned software including DeepSeek and other Chinese companies from government-issued devices in the state.
NASA has also banned employees from using DeepSeek technology citing national security concerns.
“DeepSeek and its products and services are not authorised for use with NASA’s data and information or on government-issued devices and networks,” the memo said, per CNBC. “[Employees are not authorised to] access DeepSeek via NASA devices and agency-managed network connections.”
Ed Husic’s warning
The announcement follows a warning from Federal Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic against downloading DeepSeek.
Speaking to the ABC, Mr Husic said DeepSeek’s advancements in the field was evidence of China’s “determination in this space”.
“China has been determined since the last decade to be a world leader in artificial intelligence,” he said.
“It doesn’t come as a surprise that they would try to develop a workaround to some of the restrictions that have been placed on them.”
Has DeepSeek cracked AI’s power problem?
Asked if he would download the app, he urged caution.“I would be very careful about that,” he said.
“I don’t have TikTok on my government phone. I think these types of issues have got to be weighed up carefully.”