The Belgian federal parliament has blocked access to the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, parliamentary services confirmed to Belga. The restriction, in place since last week,

follows growing concerns about privacy and security risks. Similar measures have already been implemented for other government institutions and public services.

DeepSeek, often compared to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, operates with fewer resources than its American counterpart. However, the launch of its latest version in January—boasting enhanced reasoning capabilities—sparked market reactions and intensified debates about AI’s global power dynamics.

Rising concerns

Despite its rapid adoption, DeepSeek has faced increasing criticism, particularly for its built-in censorship aligned with Chinese state policies and potential violations of privacy laws. Several European countries, including Belgium, have launched investigations into the platform, while South Korea has already removed the app from its digital stores.

Parliamentary officials confirmed that DeepSeek is now blocked on both Wi-Fi and wired networks within the chamber, aligning with restrictions placed on other government services. An internal memo states that the decision will be reassessed once more clarity emerges regarding the platform’s security risks. Photo by DeepSeek, Wikimedia commons.