A ban on using DeepSeek, an AI chatbot developed in China, on devices provided by the office of the Lithuanian parliament Seimas took effect on Wednesday.
Algirdas Stončaitis, the chancellor of the Seimas, confirmed to BNS that he had signed an order imposing the ban.
“Under this order, DeepSeek is not allowed on any device issued by the Office of the Seimas. This applies to all employees of the Office of the Seimas, including advisers to MPs,” he said.
According to Stončaitis, the restriction was put in place as a precaution to protect data security from potential risks posed by the Chinese AI tool.
“We’re taking preventive action to avoid any issues because we see DeepSeek as a potential threat,” he said.
The chancellor noted that applying the ban to MPs would require a decision from the Seimas Board, adding that parliamentary staff are also allowed to use the tool on their personal devices.
BNS has already reported that Lithuania is considering restricting access to DeepSeek at the government level.
According to Deputy Defence Minister Tomas Godliauskas, the authorities will look at how such a restriction could be implemented technically.
Meanwhile, the National Cyber Security Centre has told BNS that it strongly advises critical sector employees not to use DeepSeek on official devices, warning that the tool poses a significant risk due to its lack of data protection.
The State Data Protection Inspectorate also said it is closely monitoring the situation regarding the collection of personal data by the DeepSeek app and stressed that it already sees a lack of transparency. It has urged the public not to use the app.
The Chinese startup shocked the global AI industry in January with the launch of its low-cost, high-quality chatbot.
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