The Netherlands has banned the use of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek on government devices.
According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, State Secretary for Digitalization Zsolt Szabo confirmed the ban, citing security concerns. DeepSeek was labeled a "spy-prone application," leading to its restriction on public sector devices.
The ban applies to central government devices, while local authorities can implement similar restrictions for their employees. Last week, the Dutch Data Protection Authority advised caution in using DeepSeek.
Backed by China's High-Flyer Capital Management fund, DeepSeek launched its open-source AI model, DeepSeek-R1, on January 20. It gained global popularity, surpassing ChatGPT in app store downloads.
The U.S. Navy, Texas, Italy, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea have also imposed similar restrictions on DeepSeek.
