Netherlands Bans Civil Servants from Using Chinese AI Chatbot DeepSeek
The Netherlands has officially banned civil servants from using the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, citing concerns over potential espionage, Anadolu Agency reported. State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalization Zsolt Szabo announced the ban, following warnings from the Dutch Data Protection Authority about the app’s handling of personal information.
The authority urged users to reconsider entering sensitive data into DeepSeek, which has been accused of storing information for possible sharing with Chinese state authorities. This move follows similar restrictions imposed by South Korea and Australia on officials in specific departments.
DeepSeek, which was released to the public in late January, quickly became the most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store, a notable achievement for a Chinese product. The company claims its chatbot rivals platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT while being more cost-effective, utilizing less advanced semiconductor chips and requiring lower memory and energy. The release of DeepSeek has also contributed to a decline in US tech stock prices.
