Australia’s privacy watchdog monitors DeepSeek probes amid privacy concerns
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has not contacted the Chinese AI firm, but is in touch with foreign counterparts and monitoring multiple inquiries.
Australia’s privacy watchdog has reached out to its international counterparts over concerns surrounding the rapid rise of Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, whose emergence has already sparked a ban and investigations in the EU.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has not yet made direct contact with DeepSeek, the regulator told Capital Brief, but is closely monitoring global investigations following the release of the company’s first chatbot.
In the fortnight since DeepSeek’s release, regulators in Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium and South Korea have either said they will make formal requests for information from the company or launch investigations over possible privacy risks.
“Generative AI demands a cross-jurisdictional response. We support and watch on with deep interest in the regulatory initiatives launched by our colleagues in Italy, Belgium, South Korea and elsewhere, and are in regular communication with our peers on this and other issues,” an OAIC spokesperson told Capital Brief.
