The Australian government has prohibited the use of DeepSeek across all government devices due to security concerns linked to the Chinese artificial intelligence startup, officials announced on Tuesday.
The directive, issued by the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, mandates that all government entities refrain from utilizing or installing DeepSeek products, applications, and web services. Furthermore, it instructs agencies to identify and remove any existing instances of these products from their systems and devices.
According to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, DeepSeek represents an “unacceptable risk” to government technology. Several Australian media outlets reported that Burke emphasized the urgency of the ban as a measure to safeguard Australia’s national security and interests.
It’s important to note that this ban does not apply to devices owned by private citizens.
Following the debut of DeepSeek last month, global tech stocks experienced a downturn. The AI startup’s lower cost compared to rival models and its requirement for less advanced chips raised questions about the substantial investments made by Western firms in chip manufacturing and data centers.
This decision by Australia aligns with similar actions taken in Italy, and other nations in Europe and beyond are actively reviewing their relationship with the AI company.
Earlier this week, Taiwan also implemented a ban on the use of DeepSeek within its government departments.
Two years prior, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration enacted a nationwide ban on the Chinese social media application TikTok, citing security concerns.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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