Plea in Delhi HC, seeks direction to block AI chatbot 'DeepSeek' over data leak, security concerns

New Delhi [India], February 12 (ANI): A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking an order to block access to DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence chatbot.
The petition claims that within a month of its launch, several vulnerabilities were discovered in DeepSeek, leading to the leak of over one million pieces of sensitive personal data online.
This leaked information reportedly includes a significant amount of chat history. The plea further alleges that DeepSeek, developed by Chinese entities, is involved in unlawful operations.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, sought a response from the Union Government.
The court acknowledged the submissions made by the counsel, emphasising that the matter requires careful consideration. The court further observed that artificial intelligence could be a dangerous tool in anyone's hands, whether Chinese or American. The case is scheduled for a hearing on February 20.
The plea moved by Bhavna Sharma, a practising advocate through plea claims that several countries have raised concerns about DeepSeek's privacy and security practices. As a result, Italy's Data Protection Authority, 'Garante,' has banned DeepSeek for violating privacy laws.
The Australian government has also prohibited its use on all government devices due to security risks. Similarly, data regulators in Ireland, Belgium, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA, and France are investigating DeepSeek's operations, the plea stated.
Additionally, India's Ministry of Finance has issued an internal directive to government departments, advising them against using AI tools like DeepSeek and ChatGPT on office devices due to potential risks to the confidentiality of government data and documents, the plea read. (ANI)