Wed Feb 05 13:49:41 IST 2025: ## India’s Finance Ministry Bans AI Tools Over Data Security Concerns
**New Delhi, February 5, 2025** – India’s finance ministry has issued an internal advisory prohibiting its employees from using AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official work. The ban, citing concerns about the confidentiality of government data and documents, comes ahead of a visit by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to India.
The advisory, dated January 29th, explicitly states that the use of such AI applications on office computers poses unacceptable risks to data security. Three finance ministry officials confirmed the authenticity of the advisory. While it remains unclear whether similar restrictions have been implemented across other Indian ministries, the move mirrors similar bans enacted in countries like Australia and Italy.
This development comes amid growing concerns about data security and follows a high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI filed by major Indian media outlets. OpenAI has argued in court that it lacks servers in India and therefore the Indian courts lack jurisdiction. Representatives from the finance ministry, OpenAI, and DeepSeek have yet to comment publicly on the ban.
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