India bans DeepSeekR1, ChatGPT in government offices
Countries like Australia and Italy have placed similar restrictions on the use of DeepSeek, citing data security risks

Finance ministry asks employees to avoid AI tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek
New Delhi: After the countries like Taiwan, Australia and the US, now India has sought to ban use of DeepSeekR1 in all its government offices. To start with, the ministry of finance is learnt to have already banned the use of artificial intelligence or AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek due to several concerns, including the country's security over the potential leakage of confidential documents and data, a top source privy to development said on Wednesday.
The move of the government comes at time when there is rising concerns over nation's security risks on the use of such tools like DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, which hit the headlines worldwide after it topped app download charts and caused the US tech stocks to sink. In January, it also released its latest model, DeepSeek R1, which it said rivalled technology developed by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI in its capabilities, while costing far less to create.
As per the source, the order of ban was issued with the approval of finance secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey, on January 29, 2025 — just a couple of days before the Union Budget, saying that it applies to all AI tools and applications. "A letter has been sent to all departments within the ministry, including the department of economic affairs, the department of expenditure, the department of public enterprises, DIPAM, and the department of financial services and the ban remains in effect beyond the Budget period," the source added.
According to the letter, it is, therefore, advised that the use of AI tools/AI apps in office devices be strictly avoided and this may be brought to the notice of all employees. "It has been determined that AI tools and AI apps (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, etc) in the office computers and devices pose a risks for confidentiality of Govt. data and documents,” the letter said.
It has been observed that western countries have a track record of being suspicious of Chinese tech - notably telecoms firm Huawei and the social media platform, TikTok - both of which have been restricted on national security grounds. Like Taiwan, Australia and the US, India also plans to ban such tools, not only in the offices of the finance ministry but also all government offices due to security purposes.
President Donald Trump described it as a "wake up call" for the US but said overall it could be a positive development, if it lowered AI costs. Since then, though, doubts about it have started to be voiced. However, DeepSeek stunned the world in January when it unveiled a chatbot which matched the performance level of US rivals, while claiming it had a much lower training cost. The initial reaction to DeepSeek - which quickly became the most downloaded free app in the UK and US - appeared to be different.
Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices and systems over what it says is the security risk the Chinese AI startup poses. Billions of dollars were wiped off stock markets internationally, including in Australia, where stocks tied to AI - such as chipmaker Brainchip - fell sharply overnight. The Italian goverment previously temporarily blocked ChatGPT over privacy concerns in March 2023. Regulators in South Korea, Ireland and France have all begun investigations into how DeepSeek handles user data, which it stores in servers in China.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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