Where in the world is DeepSeek banned and why? #CanadaFinance

The US is one of several countries currently mulling a ban of DeepSeek after the Chinese AI chatbot unexpectedly became one of the most downloaded apps in the world last week.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bill that would prohibit people in the US from using the app, or interacting with other artificial intelligence technologies built in China – or else face jail time and a fine of up to $1 million.

If passed into law, the US would become only the second country to introduce an outright ban of the app, however others have already implemented partial bans or signalled that DeepSeek is being scrutinised by regulators.

Many companies have also banned the viral app amid data security concerns, with the company’s privacy policy revealing that all user data is stored in servers based in China.

It comes amid similar concerns about apps such as TikTok, which itself is already banned in much of the world.

Here is the full list of countries that have either taken, or are considering taking, action against DeepSeek.

The Italian Data Protection Authority ordered a nationwide ban of DeepSeek on 28 January 2025, preventing anyone in the country from downloading the app through the app stores of Apple and Google.

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The regulator cited potential data breaches by DeepSeek’s parent companies – Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence and Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence – which are required to prove that it complies with GDPR, the European data protection law.

“[DeepSeek] declared that it does not operate in Italy and that European legislation does not apply to them,” read a statement from the regulators.

“The Authority, in addition to ordering the limitation of the processing, has simultaneously opened an investigation.”

The country previously banned OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT in 2023, however reinstated it after issuing a €15 million fine.

Government agencies in Taiwan have banned DeepSeek due to alleged security risks of the AI platform.

A statement from the country’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said that companies and governmental bodies involved with critical infrastructure should also forbid the app because it “endangers national information security”.

The statement added: “DeepSeek AI service is a Chinese product. Its operation involves cross-border transmission, and information leakage and other information security concerns.”

Australia introduced a ban of all DeepSeek products from government systems and devices on Tuesday, 4 February, with immediate effect.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke cited national security risks with the Chinese AI technology, saying that the restrictions were “country-agnostic and focussed on the risk to the Australian government and our assets”.

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