Czech government bans DeepSeek usage in public administration

The Czech government has officially banned the use of AI services from Chinese startup DeepSeek within its public administration, citing concerns over data security. Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced the decision, stating that as a Chinese firm, DeepSeek is required to cooperate with Chinese government authorities, potentially granting them access to sensitive data stored on servers in China. This move aligns with actions taken by other European countries such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, which have also imposed restrictions on DeepSeek based on similar privacy and data protection concerns. DeepSeek gained international attention in January by asserting it had developed an AI model that could compete with major American companies like OpenAI at significantly lower costs. However, the company’s privacy policy reveals it collects and stores user data, including interactions with its AI and uploaded files, on computers located in China, raising substantial security and privacy issues in Western nations. Neither DeepSeek nor the Chinese embassy in Prague have commented on the Czech government's decision.