In a significant move, Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, has blocked the artificial intelligence app DeepSeek within the country. The decision comes after the Chinese artificial intelligence company failed to adequately address concerns about its data privacy practices and ethical implications. This development highlights the growing scrutiny of AI technologies, particularly those involving machine learning and artificial intelligence, and their handling of user data.
DeepSeek’s ban also brings to light broader ethical concerns in AI. The company’s large language models (LLMs) have been found vulnerable to jailbreak techniques, which allow malicious actors to generate harmful or prohibited content. For instance, researchers discovered that DeepSeek’s models could provide detailed instructions for creating dangerous items or generating malicious code for cyberattacks.
Additionally, DeepSeek’s reasoning model, DeepSeek-R1, has been criticised for potential data leakage and ethical issues related to its training data. Reports suggest that the model may have incorporated data from OpenAI, raising questions about data sourcing and originality.
Italy’s decision reflects a growing trend of stricter regulations around AI technologies. Data regulators in other European countries, including Ireland and France, are also scrutinizing DeepSeek’s privacy policies. This highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of AI systems.
The ban also underscores the challenges faced by artificial intelligence companies operating globally. As AI technologies become more advanced, ensuring compliance with regional data protection laws and addressing ethical concerns of AI will be critical for their success.
Despite the ban, DeepSeek remains a popular AI app, with millions of users worldwide. The company has already implemented fixes to address recent cyberattacks on its services. However, regaining trust and complying with international data protection standards will be essential for its future growth.
For now, Italian users who had previously downloaded the app can still access it, but the web version remains operational. The Garante has made it clear that without cooperation, DeepSeek will remain blocked in Italy.
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