The Czech government has barred all public administration bodies from using any services or products offered by Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek, citing serious data security concerns. Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced the decision at a press conference on Wednesday, marking the latest move in a growing international pushback against the company.
“The government decided on a ban on usage of AI products, applications, solutions, web pages and web services provided by DeepSeek within the Czech public administration,” Fiala said during the briefing broadcast live.
He explained that DeepSeek, as a Chinese entity, is legally required to cooperate with Chinese government agencies—raising fears that sensitive user data stored on the company’s China-based servers could be accessed by Beijing.
The ban aligns the Czech Republic with other European nations, including Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, which have imposed restrictions on DeepSeek due to similar data protection concerns.
Despite claims earlier this year that its AI systems could compete with leading Western platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT at a fraction of the cost, DeepSeek has faced increased scrutiny over its privacy practices. According to the company’s own privacy policy, it stores user-submitted prompts and uploaded files on servers located in China, sparking alarm among privacy advocates and governments.
DeepSeek and the Chinese embassy in Prague have not responded to requests for comment.
The move underscores growing geopolitical tensions around AI and data sovereignty, particularly as Western governments move to shield sensitive information from foreign surveillance threats.
Melissa Enoch
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