That was fast: US lawmakers are already working on their first DeepSeek ban
Summary
- Bipartisan lawmakers are pushing to ban DeepSeek from US government devices due to national security concerns.
- Officials fear private data from the AI is sent to a Chinese telecom with links to the Chinese Communist Party.
- Several federal agencies and states have already barred DeepSeek, mirroring actions taken by other countries like Australia and South Korea.
DeepSeek was virtually unknown outside of China just a few short weeks ago. Then, almost overnight, it appeared on the world stage and instantly became one of the biggest threats to the dominance of US firms in the AI space. The wake it left has sent US lawmakers scrambling to give it the TikTok treatment.
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A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is pushing to ban DeepSeek from all government-owned devices (via Android Authority). Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are introducing the legislation, citing security concerns about sensitive data being sent to China. Several federal agencies, such as NASA and the US Navy, have already barred DeepSeek from their systems, while the state of Texas has its own ban.
The rise and fall of DeepSeek
DeepSeek gained global attention in recent weeks for its powerful AI capabilities that seemed to put American giants OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google to shame. DeepSeek is owned by a Chinese hedge fund called High Flyer. The AI’s app flew to the number one spot on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Its secret was in its pricing: free.
However, reports soon emerged that DeepSeek transmits user data to a Chinese company with direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It’s a lot like the TikTok controversy, which faces similar accusations, but there is no definitive proof of data sharing. Not so with DeepSeek. Security experts have already identified a hidden code within the AI that sends user information to China Mobile, a state-owned telecom company banned in the United States.
This bill’s sponsors argue that DeepSeek represents a clear national security risk. LaHood emphasized that allowing a CCP-linked company to access sensitive data is unacceptable.
DeepSeek’s meteoric rise is now colliding with geopolitics. Australia, South Korea, and Italy have already banned the app from government systems. This could mark the beginning of a broader effort to limit DeepSeek’s presence in the country if the bill passes. Users may have to consider a
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