Taiwan Blocks Chinese AI Giant DeepSeek Amid Escalating Data Security Fears

Taiwan Blocks Chinese AI Giant DeepSeek Amid Escalating Data Security Fears

Taiwan Bans DeepSeek AI Platform Amid Global Security Concerns

Taiwan has joined the growing list of nations restricting the use of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI platform, across government agencies and critical infrastructure due to national security concerns. The Ministry of Digital Affairs cited risks associated with cross-border data transmission and potential information leakage.

This decision follows Italy’s recent block of the platform over data handling transparency issues. Despite DeepSeek’s recognition for developing cost-effective, open-source AI models comparable to industry leaders, several security challenges have emerged:

Security Challenges:
– Vulnerability to jailbreak techniques
– Censorship of sensitive topics aligned with Chinese government policies
– Target of significant DDoS attacks between January 25-27, 2025
– Malicious PyPI packages impersonating DeepSeek’s API client

Global Response:
– EU implemented the Artificial Intelligence Act (February 2025)
– UK introduced new AI Code of Practice
– Meta established Frontier AI Framework with risk assessment protocols

Cybersecurity Implications:
– Google reported 57 threat actors from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia attempting to exploit AI systems
– Increasing concerns about AI weaponization
– Anthropic developed Constitutional Classifiers to protect against universal jailbreaks

The incident highlights the growing tension between AI advancement and national security concerns, prompting governments and organizations worldwide to implement stricter regulatory frameworks for AI deployment and usage.

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