DeepSeek gained significant attention in the tech market upon its release, becoming the top downloaded free app on Apple's iPhone store. However, its data practices have raised alarms, leading to restrictions by the federal government on some mobile devices and recommendations for other agencies to follow suit. Security experts have pointed out that DeepSeek's chatbot collects various user information, including personal details and chat histories. DeepSeek has not responded to requests for comment on these concerns.
Key takeaways:
- The University of British Columbia has banned the Chinese AI tool DeepSeek from its devices and networks due to privacy and security risks.
- UBC's decision was based on public information and third-party assessments highlighting DeepSeek's extensive data collection and weak encryption.
- DeepSeek is the only AI tool banned at UBC, with no plans to restrict others like ChatGPT.
- The Canadian federal government has also restricted DeepSeek's chatbot from some mobile devices, advising other agencies to follow suit.