At My Technician, we’ve always put the security and confidentiality of your data at the top of our priorities. Recently, the DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool has been in the news with its relaunch in North American markets. While promising in terms of technological performance, its adoption raises serious security issues. Here’s our analysis.
A suspicious origin
DeepSeek is of Chinese origin, and Chinese law requires companies to cooperate with government authorities. In other words, the data collected by a tool like DeepSeek could be accessible to the Chinese government. Even local use does not eliminate the risks, as backdoors or remotely exploitable vulnerabilities could exist.
Cloud vs. local: two scenarios to assess
- Local use: Although it may seem safer, the origin of the software remains a source of concern. If updates come from external servers, they may introduce exploitable vulnerabilities.
- Cloud use: Here, the risks are magnified. Any data shared in the cloud can potentially be stored, analyzed or even used to train AI models. This information could be transferred to foreign, often opaque, infrastructures.
DeepSeek and other LLM tools: the need for vigilance
The same issues apply to all tools based on a large linguistic model (LLM) that are freely available in the cloud, such as ChatGPT or Copilot. When you use these tools without a paid account, the data you enter can be reused to train artificial intelligence. This practice can expose sensitive information to confidentiality risks.
Our recommendations
- Analyze the risks before adopting a new technology. Make sure it complies with current security and confidentiality standards, such as Bill 25 in Quebec.
- Choose local, transparent solutions. Look for tools that comply with regulations and are designed by companies that prioritize data protection.
- Limit your use of free cloud tools. Opt for paid versions that guarantee better data management.
Adopting a tool like DeepSeek without a thorough risk analysis is gambling with your data security. At My Technician, we’re here to support you in your technological choices, always ensuring that your systems and information remain secure and protected. If you have any questions about DeepSeek or any other tool, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thought for the day: Once toothpaste is out of the tube, it’s almost impossible to get it back in.