Global Companies Block China's AI Chatbot DeepSeek Over Data Leak Concerns

A significant number of companies worldwide have recently taken action to prohibit their employees from using the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot DeepSeek. This decision stems from growing fears regarding potential user data leaks.

Nadir Izrael, the Chief Technology Officer of Armis Inc, revealed that many organizations, especially those linked to government operations, have blocked access to DeepSeek due to concerns that it might inadvertently expose sensitive data to the Chinese government.

Izrael noted that around 70% of Armis's clients have requested the restriction of access to this AI chatbot.

"The primary concern is that the data processed by this AI model could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. There is no guarantee where that information will end up," said Izrael, as reported by Financial Post on Sunday, February 2, 2025.

A similar trend has also been observed in reports from Netskope Inc, a cybersecurity service provider that assists firms in regulating their employees' access to specific websites. According to their data, approximately 52% of Netskope's clients have blocked the Chinese AI DeepSeek.

Recently, DeepSeek's popularity has surged, propelling it to the top ranks of both the App Store and Play Store. However, this rise in users has come with increasing concerns about data safety, particularly since the application stores user information on servers located in China. This aspect raises alarms about the heightened risk of data leakage to local authorities.

DeepSeek offers an alternative to other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, and is powered by China's model V3. The application allows users to analyze documents, respond to inquiries, and retrieve information from the internet. Furthermore, it enables users to upload files and synchronize chat histories across different devices.

Even though DeepSeek currently occupies a leading position in the chatbot market, to maintain its competitive edge over OpenAI's ChatGPT, it will need to achieve 300 million active users per week in the long run.

In recent days, DeepSeek has also garnered attention from various industries. Some startups, like Perplexity and Gloo, founded by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, have integrated DeepSeek into their systems.

AI, DeepSeek, DataLeak