By Canadian Press

UBC bans Chinese AI DeepSeek from its devices and networks, citing privacy, security

Mar 19, 2025 | 2:14 PM

VANCOUVER — The University of British Columbia has banned Chinese AI tool DeepSeek from being used or installed on university-owned devices and networks, citing “a high degree of privacy and security risk.”

The university says it reached the decision after a review of public information and third-party assessments of DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence applications.

It says there are concerns about DeepSeek’s “extensive data collection and sharing,” weak encryption and its transmission of personal data.

University spokesman Matthew Ramsey says DeepSeek is the only AI tool banned at UBC, and there are no plans to restrict others, such as ChatGPT.

DeepSeek caused a storm in world tech markets in late January when it was first released, impressing experts and becoming the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone store.

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UBC says it will employ “preventative measures” to block DeepSeek applications on its network and “strongly recommends” against their use on personal devices.

Last month, the federal government restricted DeepSeek’s chatbot from some of its mobile devices and is recommending other agencies and departments follow suit.

DeepSeek did not immediately respond to an interview request.

— With files from the Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press