US Lawmakers Propose Ban on Chinese AI Chatbot DeepSeek

US lawmakers are moving forward with a proposed bill that seeks to ban the Chinese-developed AI chatbot application, DeepSeek, from all government devices due to serious security concerns.

The introduction of this legislation in the House of Representatives marks a critical response to the app's rapid rise in popularity, having become the most downloaded app in the United States. However, cybersecurity analysts have raised alarms, claiming that DeepSeek includes hidden code designed to send user data to China Mobile, a state-run telecommunications company. This poses significant privacy risks as the Chinese government has been accused of potentially accessing sensitive data through applications like DeepSeek.

In response to the allegations, Beijing has dismissed the concerns as a form of “ideological discrimination”. The Chinese foreign ministry has refuted claims of unlawful data collection, asserting that they do not compel businesses or individuals to engage in illegal data practices. As of now, DeepSeek has not publicly addressed these specific accusations.

Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer emphasized the urgency of the legislation, stating, “This should be a no-brainer in terms of actions we should take immediately to prevent our enemy from getting information from our government.” Republican Representative Darin LaHood shared similar sentiments, declaring that “Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP Chinese Communist Party company to obtain sensitive government or personal data.”

The proposed bill parallels actions taken against TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform that was banned from government devices in 2022 over similar data access concerns. Like DeepSeek, TikTok has rejected claims of posing a national security risk, promising measures to protect user data, including initiatives like Project Texas, designed to keep American user information on US servers.

Globally, several countries have already taken steps to limit or outright ban DeepSeek in government operations. Nations such as Australia, South Korea, and Italy have enacted restrictions based on data security worries. In the US, both the Navy and NASA have previously blocked the application due to these privacy concerns.

Developed by the Hangzhou-based startup DeepSeek Inc., the AI assistant launched in January and quickly surpassed well-known applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the leading AI assistant on Apple’s App Store. Unlike ChatGPT, which requires a subscription for its advanced features, DeepSeek-R1 is available for free.

The rise of DeepSeek has notably impacted major US tech firms, including Nvidia, whose market value has been affected. DeepSeek’s V3 and R1 models are now seen as direct competitors to OpenAI’s advanced GPT models.

The success of DeepSeek also presents a challenge to previous US administration efforts aimed at restricting China’s access to cutting-edge chips produced in the US and the Netherlands.

US, legislation, DeepSeek