Will DeepSeek Be Banned

Currently, DeepSeek is facing bans from different countries due to data privacy and national security regarding its Chinese-origin data storage practices. While a question arises, banning DeepSeek from many countries’ government devices, will DeepSeek be banned in public or limited to government devices?

So, we will explore topics like the current countries banned, the reasons for bans, and the public ban possibilities. Without any further delay, let’s dive in.

Current Bans and Regional Actions

Several countries and regions have taken action against DeepSeek, primarily focusing on government devices due to security concerns:

United States

Several US government agencies have banned DeepSeek’s first, warned, and prohibited the installation of DeepSeek applications on official devices.

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy was the first federal agency to ban DeepSeek, issuing the internal directive warning members on January 28, 2025, due to security and ethical concerns. The instruction clearly states that personnel should not use DeepSeek for work-related or personal tasks and must refrain from downloading or installing its apps on Navy devices or networks.

NASA

Subsequently, on January 31, 2025, NASA also banned DeepSeek on its devices, citing security and privacy concerns. NASA’s Chief AI Officer said, “DeepSeek and its products and services are not authorized for use with NASA’s data and information or on government-issued devices and networks.” The memo further prohibits personnel from sharing or uploading agency data to DeepSeek and accessing it via NASA devices or managed network connections, citing national security risks.

Department of Defense (Pentagon)

The Pentagon has banned DeepSeek from its devices, citing potential security threats. Indicating DeepSeek linking to China Mobile, a state-owned firm banned in the U.S. for military.

States that banned the DeepSeek in the U.S.

Texas

Texas was the first U.S. state to ban DeepSeek by Governor Greg Abbott issuing the prohibition on January 28, 2025, due to security and ethical concerns. This action was taken to protect critical infrastructure and personal information from potential spying by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

New York

By following Texas, on February 10, 2025, New York State also banned DeepSeek from state-managed devices, citing concerns over foreign surveillance and data privacy. State agencies were instructed to remove the app, and employees were prohibited from downloading it on state devices.

Virginia

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 46 on February 11, 2025. This order emphasized the need to safeguard state operations and information from potential threats.

As of now, the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” has been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate but has not yet been passed into law.

On February 28, 2025, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jon Husted (R-OH), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced a companion bill in the Senate to ban DeepSeek from all federal government devices and networks.

On February 6, 2025, Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) introduced the bipartisan bill aiming to prohibit federal employees from using DeepSeek on government-issued devices.

Additionally, a team of 21 state attorneys general has urged Congress to pass this legislation, highlighting concerns over national security and data privacy.

Italy

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) ordered DeepSeek to stop processing Italian users’ data due to data privacy and potential GDPR violations. This followed a January 28 inquiry, leading to its removal from app stores in Italy.

Australia

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced an immediate ban on February 4, 2025, following intelligence agency advice, saying it poses an “unacceptable risk” to national security. All DeepSeek products must be removed from government infrastructure.

Taiwan

The Ministry of Digital Affairs banned DeepSeek across public sector organizations, citing risks of “cross-border transmission and information leakage.”

South Korea

by February 17, 2025, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) removed DeepSeek from Google Play Store and App Store for failing to comply with data protection laws. Ministries like Trade, Industry, and Energy, Defense, and Foreign Affairs, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, blocked it on work devices earlier in February.

Reasons for Bans

Reasons Why DeepSeek Could Face Bans:

National Security Risks

The main reason for deepseek ban is national security risks, particularly due to its Chinese origins and sending data to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Governments worry that DeepSeek could be used for spying, surveillance, or data collection by the Chinese government. This concern is elevated by China’s National Intelligence Law, which mandates companies to share data with intelligence agencies upon request.

Data Privacy Concerns

its data storage and handling practices raise significant privacy issues, as all user data is stored on servers in China, outside the jurisdiction of banning countries. This exposes sensitive information to potential access by Chinese authorities, violating local privacy laws and standards. The lack of transparency about data usage further increases distrust.

Ethical and Compliance Issues

Ethical concerns include its potential for misuse, such as censorship aligned with CCP interests, and its failure to meet regulatory standards in some regions like the GDPR in the EU and South Korea’s PIPC. Governments and regulators worry about the tool’s origins and its ability to spread disinformation or operate in ways that conflict with local values or laws.

Cybersecurity Threats

DeepSeek is linked to some serious cybersecurity risks since bad actors can use it to spread malware and infected devices. This vulnerability threatens government systems and networks, leading to bans aimed at preventing harm beyond just data leakage.

Geopolitical Tensions

Bans are influenced by broader U.S.-China tech rivalry and global concerns about Chinese technological dominance, reflecting precedents like Huawei and TikTok. DeepSeek’s rise as a low-cost, powerful AI competitor (e.g., DeepSeek-R1 rivaling GPT-4o) becomes a fear of China gaining strategic advantages, prompting preemptive restrictions.

Consequences of DeepSeek Ban

The potential consequences of the DeepSeek ban on users, the AI industry, and society.

For Users

Individuals, developers, researchers, and small businesses relying on DeepSeek’s affordable API (starting at $0.55 per million input tokens) or free open-source model. It helps invest in using the tool for data analysis, automation, and decision-making, or building AI agents with API at low cost. With the ban, users would lose a powerful, budget-friendly alternative to pricier options like ChatGPT.

Open-source downloads from platforms like Hugging Face could continue unless banned, though app store removals (e.g., South Korea, Italy) limit mainstream access. Users may turn to other AI platforms, but these alternatives might not offer the same level of functionality, accuracy, and free access.

For AI Industry

A ban could benefit U.S.-based AI giants like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic by reducing competition from DeepSeek, which disrupted markets with its $6 million training cost and topped the app store. Reducing competition like DeepSeek would be a cost-effective model and could slow the innovation, and keep AI costs high.

It could be leading to Western firms dominating elsewhere, while China accelerates its domestic AI ecosystem. Creating a monopolistic environment, reducing diversity and innovation.

For Society

For societal perspective, banning the low-cost AI could raise costs for businesses and consumers, slowing adoption in sectors like education, healthcare, and small enterprises.

While bans aim to protect against spying and data leaks, and safety comes first, whatever cost-effective innovation bans. As it stores data and sends it to CCP, it raises national security concerns about users’ personal data.

Will DeepSeek Be Banned in Public

As of now, no country has banned DeepSeek for public use. Current bans focus on government systems, driven by security and privacy fears. Except South Korea and Italy were removed from the App Store indirectly to limit public access. While the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are planning to pass the law of “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” to stop usage in all federal government devices. If CCP data theft comes to evident, and is caught in any spying activity leaking user’s data, there are higher possibilities of public ban.

Prevent the public ban, it needs to introduce a temporary chat feature like ChatGPT, complying with GDPR and PIPC laws. If it bans still people can use it due to the open-source nature and can host locally on a PC. While using the local host, there are no data storage practices, and sending data to the CCP.

Hope you liked the debate on DeepSeek, if you have any queries or debate on the model, please feel free to suggest in the comments.