Canadian government device bans DeepSeek, individual users not affected
According to National Post, the federal government will prohibit the use of chat robots from DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, on government equipment because of "serious privacy issues" and concerns that the company may improperly collect and retain sensitive data.
On Thursday, Dominic Rochon, the Chief Information Officer of the government, stated in a memo to government officials that the Chinese owned application - which unexpectedly became one of the world's most downloaded applications last week - has been banned from use on devices and networks regulated by the Canadian Shared Services Agency (SSC).
He also called on department and agency heads who do not use SSC devices and networks to block the application and website on their networks.
Due to serious privacy concerns arising from improper collection and retention of sensitive personal information, as a preventive measure to protect government networks and data, it is recommended that departments and agencies restrict the use of DeepSeek chatbot on government devices, "Rochon wrote in the memo.
Image source: unsplash@solenfeyissa
This ban does not apply to personal devices of Canadians.
Last month, this small Chinese startup launched its AI model, which reportedly rivals or even surpasses existing products such as OpenAI's ChatGPT in various benchmark tests such as programming and inference, shocking the tech industry.
According to reports, its emergence has disrupted the stock market, leading to a significant decline in the market value of AI related companies such as Nvidia. In a short period of time, the success of this Chinese company reignited the AI competition between China and the United States, challenging the United States' leadership position in this field. But it has also sparked controversy by applying China's censorship laws to certain responses.
The article states that what concerns Western governments more is how the Chinese government handles users' personal information, given that China's comprehensive national security law allows the government to force Chinese companies to hand over data.
These concerns led the Canadian government to ban TikTok applications owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance on the public service network, and took action last fall to force TikTok's Canadian company to dissolve.
Image source: National Post
In recent days, South Korea, Australia, and Italy have blocked DeepSeek's chatbot on government devices, and many other countries are considering similar measures, including the United States.
In Thursday's memo, Rochon also stated that his office is reviewing government equipment management policies to ensure they are up-to-date. And SSC is developing a 'stricter approach' to manage government equipment within its jurisdiction.
The federal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source link:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/federal-government-bans-chinese-ai-startup-deepseek-on-public-service-devices