Officials in South Korea and Australia have cited concerns about user data and national security as reasons to block the buzzy AI service from China.

In a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, the move by the Australian federal government was described as the 'politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues'.

China has hit back at the Australian government’s banning of DeepSeek on all public sector devices, labelling it “ideological discrimination”.

Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices, a top official said, citing privacy and malware risks posed by China's breakout AI program.

Several governments, including the U.S., Taiwan and Australia, have banned the use of China’s AI software DeepSeek on official devices. Analysts say these restrictions are justified, as tests show DeepSeek not only collects excessive user data but also filters sensitive topics and