ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app

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Due to privacy concerns, security risks and other factors, DeepSeek AI is not endorsed for use at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app. Access will be blocked on all devices connected to the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app on-campus network.

As the use of AI-powered tools continues to grow in educational and research settings, we want to ensure that all ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app students are aware of the potential risks associated with their use. 

About DeepSeek 

DeepSeek is an AI-powered chatbot developed in China that offers natural language processing, reasoning capabilities, and research assistance. It is emerging as a cost-effective and open-source alternative to commercial AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. 

While DeepSeek offers many potential benefits, strong concerns exist around data privacy, security risks, political bias and compliance with Australian regulations. 

Privacy concerns specifically include user prompt data being transmitted to DeepSeek’s servers, located in People’s Republic of China and have not been reviewed for compliance with Australia’s Privacy Act, potentially exposing sensitive information. Political bias issues stem from the model’s tendency to avoid responding to certain topics that could be perceived as detrimental to the Chinese government. Also, the exact implementation details and data handling processes of DeepSeek remain publicly undisclosed, including to ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app staff and students, raising significant transparency, governance, and data security concerns. 

Australian federal and state governments have banned DeepSeek on all government systems and devices following these security and privacy concerns.

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app advice on DeepSeek 

Given these factors, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app must carefully assess the risks and benefits of any adoption of AI technologies. While it may present opportunities for educational enhancement, strong governance, policies, and risk mitigation strategies must be in place to manage our data and IP if access is required to it. 

DeepSeek is not officially endorsed for use with any sensitive, research, or administrative purposes at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app.

To further safeguard university systems, access to DeepSeek will be blocked on all devices connected to the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app on-campus network on Australian campuses. This applies to all staff and students, whether using personal (BYOD) or ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app-managed devices.

1. Do not use your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app credentials (email address) for login access to DeepSeek 
   Use of these credentials is now against ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app policy, even for non-work-related activity, to mitigate security risks. 

2. Avoid entering confidential or sensitive information 
   Do not input intellectual property (IP), research data, student records, financial details, or any proprietary ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app information into DeepSeek Hosted Services or other similar AI technologies. 

3. Data entered in AI systems may not remain private 
   DeepSeek stores and processes data externally in China, and information provided will be retained and used for AI training. 

4. Be mindful of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s data security policies 
   Use of AI tools should align with ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s cybersecurity and privacy guidelines to protect university assets and personal information. 

5. Consider alternative AI tools where appropriate 
   If AI is required for learning or research, explore tools that comply with Australian data privacy and security standards (further guidance on these tools will be provided shortly). 

Exemption process for specific use cases

If there is a justified need to use DeepSeek, an exemption may be requested under strict conditions. 

All exemption requests shall be formally reviewed and endorsed by the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app Cyber Security team and Information Compliance Unit before approval can be considered. Strict conditions include ensuring that DeepSeek is deployed in a controlled environment, such as a local or private cloud infrastructure, with no external data sharing and full compliance with ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s cybersecurity and privacy policies.

Questions? 

If you have any questions or require guidance on AI usage, please contact ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s AI Team at enterprise-architecture@uow.edu.au.