Australia has taken a firm stance against DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, by banning its products from all government devices due to security concerns. On Tuesday, the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs issued a mandatory directive, instructing all government entities to “prevent the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services and where found remove all existing instances of DeepSeek products, applications and web services from all Australian Government systems and devices,” the statement read.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke explained that the decision was made because DeepSeek posed an “unacceptable risk” to government technology. “The immediate ban is to protect Australia’s national security and national interest,” he stated, underscoring the government’s commitment to safeguarding sensitive information.

Notably, the ban does not extend to private citizens’ devices, focusing solely on government systems. The ban follows a wave of international scrutiny against DeepSeek, a company that has raised eyebrows since its launch last month. The startup’s offering, priced much lower than competing AI models and requiring less sophisticated hardware, has prompted questions regarding the West’s substantial investments in chipmakers and data centres.

Australia’s move aligns with similar actions taken by other nations. Italy has already imposed a ban, and Taiwan also restricted government departments from using DeepSeek earlier this week. The global response reflects growing concerns over national security, with countries across Europe and beyond assessing the potential risks posed by the AI firm.

Australia’s action against DeepSeek comes on the heels of a previous decision by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok two years ago due to security risks. As governments worldwide grapple with the evolving influence of foreign technology, the DeepSeek ban marks another chapter in the growing discourse surrounding data privacy and national security.