US Lawmakers Push to Ban DeepSeek AI Chatbot on Government Devices
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is moving to prohibit government employees from using DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot, on official devices due to national security concerns.
Representatives Darin LaHood (Republican, Illinois) and Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, New Jersey) plan to introduce legislation on Friday that would block the use of DeepSeek in government systems. The proposed law would also require agencies to establish guidelines for removing DeepSeek and any other applications developed by its parent company, High Flyer, within 60 days of passage.
The push to ban DeepSeek follows a broader U.S.-China tech rivalry, particularly in artificial intelligence. DeepSeek recently gained attention for launching R1, an AI model reportedly on par with leading U.S. models but more cost-effective and efficient, despite China’s limited access to advanced AI chips due to U.S. export restrictions.
The proposed ban mirrors actions taken by Australia, Italy, and Taiwan, as well as previous U.S. restrictions on TikTok, which lawmakers have long viewed as a potential security risk due to its Chinese ownership.
Gottheimer warned that China’s government could exploit DeepSeek to collect sensitive data and spread misinformation.
“We’ve seen China’s playbook before with TikTok, and we cannot allow it to happen again,” he said.
Cybersecurity experts have also raised concerns, noting that China’s cybersecurity laws require companies to provide data to authorities upon request. Adrianus Warmenhoven of NordVPN cautioned that user data shared with DeepSeek could be accessed by the Chinese government.
DeepSeek has not responded to the proposed legislation.
