The Czech Republic has banned the use of products from Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek because of concerns over data security and information handling.
The decision, announced by the government on July 9, follows a recommendation from the national cybersecurity authority to prohibit all public administration bodies from using DeepSeek’s applications, software, websites, and web services.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the ban, based on analysis from the National Cyber and Information Security Agency, is an “important step in strengthening the cybersecurity of the Czech Republic.”
The move follows similar steps taken by other countries to protect user data.
Italy blocked access to the DeepSeek chatbot in January, citing the company’s failure to address data privacy policy concerns. In June, Germany asked app stores to remove the product because of unlawful data transfers.
Australia has also restricted DeepSeek’s use in government systems over national security concerns.
Fiala addressed the risks of using DeepSeek products, citing the company’s obligation to hand over information, including customer data, to Beijing upon request for national security purposes.
“This may lead to the state apparatus’s access to data stored on servers in the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
Cyberattack on Foreign Ministry
In May, the Czech Republic accused the Chinese regime of running a cyberattack campaign against its foreign ministry’s communication systems, blaming a hacking group called APT31, which has ties to Beijing.
According to Czech officials, the attacks began during the Czech European Union presidency in 2022 and focused on emails and documents related to Asia.
In response, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky summoned the Chinese ambassador and said the country had upgraded its communication system in 2024 for better security. Beijing has denied the accusations.
Czech Minister of Science Marek Zenisek said on social media platform X that the ban on DeepSeek applications is a “necessary step” following the “recent revelation of Chinese espionage at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
DeepSeek was founded in 2023 in Hangzhou, China, and released its first artificial intelligence large language model later that year.
Other Security Threats
In late 2018, the Czech cyberwatchdog warned network operators and other key institutions against using software or hardware made by Chinese telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE, saying they may pose a security threat.
In 2019, Huawei was excluded from a Czech tender to build a tax portal, after officials said the project could not include vendors subject to an active warning from the cybersecurity watchdog.
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