The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Government to present a comprehensive action plan to mitigate the risks associated with the Chinese-origin AI chatbot DeepSeek, citing potential threats to citizens’ privacy and India’s sovereignty.
On 29 October, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court asked the government to clarify what concrete measures it intends to take in response to the growing concerns surrounding DeepSeek AI.
The proceedings stem from a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Bhavna Sharma, who urged the Court to declare the Chinese chatbot a threat to national security and personal data protection. According to the petition, DeepSeek violates provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, by transmitting user data through foreign servers.
The Court noted that the issue had been flagged earlier — a notice on the same matter was issued to the government back in February. The Bench has now instructed the government’s counsel to obtain directions from the concerned ministries and present a detailed roadmap of action.
Emphasizing that the matter “requires intervention at an early stage,” the Court decided to club this petition with other ongoing cases dealing with AI governance and regulation.
“Issues linked to user privacy, algorithmic manipulation, and national security cannot be dealt with in hindsight — they must be anticipated and managed proactively,”
the court observed.
The petition also refers to global precedents, including Italy’s decision to ban DeepSeek over violations of its data protection laws. Drawing parallels with international actions, the petitioner argued that India cannot afford to remain complacent when faced with cross-border data risks.
Going forward, the Central Government is expected to outline specific steps to regulate the operation of foreign AI tools in India. Possible measures may include:
- restricting the use of such AI platforms on government devices,
- enforcing stricter data localisation and compliance requirements, and
- launching public awareness campaigns about the dangers of using uncertified AI technologies
For Indian users, the DeepSeek controversy serves as a crucial reminder that the convenience of AI often comes with the hidden cost of losing control over personal information. For the government, it is a wake-up call underscoring the urgent need to establish clear regulatory frameworks governing the use of foreign AI systems within India’s digital ecosystem.
Source: MLex
