The Indian government is preparing to issue a warning about data privacy and cyber risks linked to the Chinese AI tool, DeepSeek. The advisory comes after an investigation by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), which found potential threats to Indian users and government systems.
According to the Economic Times, CERT-In, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, studied how DeepSeek collects user data. Experts are concerned that the AI tool tracks user prompts, device details, keystrokes, and interactions with other apps. Officials say DeepSeek needs stricter rules compared to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
DeepSeek collects data in three main ways:
- User inputs – chat history, images, and documents.
- Device data – metadata, cookies, and app interactions.
- External sources – publicly available or shared data.
There are also fears that DeepSeek could spread misinformation to influence political opinions. A government official stated that India is not comfortable with China having access to Indian data due to a lack of transparency about how the data is stored and used.
Last month, India’s Finance Ministry advised against using AI tools like DeepSeek and ChatGPT on official devices for security reasons. Other countries, including the U.S., Australia, and Italy, have also restricted Chinese AI tools.
DeepSeek’s role in cyber spying and data collection has raised global concerns. The upcoming advisory will guide users and government agencies on protecting personal information while using AI tools.
Source: businessworld
