House lawmakers are introducing legislation to ban the Chinese AI software DeepSeek from US government devices citing national security risks and alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The bill, 'No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,' is backed by bipartisan support and follows a similar ban on TikTok over data-sharing concerns. Research suggests DeepSeek's code is linked to the Chinese Communist Party and China Mobile, a company with close ties to the Chinese military. Lawmakers warn that DeepSeek could be used to steal sensitive data from US citizens and threaten national security.
House lawmakers are introducing legislation Thursday to ban the Chinese AI software DeepSeek from U.S. government devices. The bipartisan bill, titled 'No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,' is being led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., both members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The proposed ban comes after Congress banned TikTok on government devices during the Biden administration over similar data-sharing concerns.
The legislation is based on new research highlighting how DeepSeek's code is directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party, with the capability to share user data with China Mobile, a company owned by the Chinese government and with close ties to the Chinese military. China Mobile has been banned by the Federal Communications Commission for use in the United States. 'The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans. Now, we have deeply disturbing evidence that they are using DeepSeek to steal the sensitive data of U.S. citizens,' Gottheimer said. 'This is a five-alarm national security fire.''The national security threat that DeepSeek, a CCP-affiliated company, poses to the United States is alarming,' added LaHood. 'DeepSeek’s generative AI program acquires the data of U.S. users and stores the information for unidentified use by the CCP. Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP company to obtain sensitive government or personal data.' The research both lawmakers cited as allegedly exposing DeepSeek's ties to the Chinese government was carried out by Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity company, according to The Wall Street Journal. On the web version of DeepSeek, researchers found hidden code on the login page that has connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile, the Associated Press reported. 'It’s hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’? In this instance, there’s a lot of smoke,' Ivan Tsarynny, the CEO of Feroot Security, told the AP. 'The implications of this are significantly larger because personal and proprietary information could be exposed,' he added. 'It’s like TikTok but at a much grander scale and with more precision. It’s not just sharing entertainment videos. It’s sharing queries and information that could include highly personal and sensitive business information.'Gottheimer’s office said 'Americans are sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with DeepSeek -- contracts, documents, and financial records,' and 'In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary.' DeepSeek did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from FOX Business.
AI Deepseek China US Government National Security Data Sharing Tiktok Legislation Cybersecurity
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
House Lawmakers Propose Ban on Chinese AI Software DeepSeek From Government DevicesHouse lawmakers are introducing legislation to ban the Chinese AI software DeepSeek from U.S. government devices, citing national security concerns and ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The bipartisan bill, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Darin LaHood, follows a similar ban on TikTok over data-sharing worries. New research suggests DeepSeek's code is linked to the CCP and could share user data with China Mobile, a company with close ties to the Chinese military. Lawmakers warn that the software poses a significant threat, potentially exposing sensitive information like contracts, documents, and financial records to the CCP.
Read more »
China: AI’s Sputnik moment? A short Q and A on DeepSeekOn 20 January the Chinese start-up DeepSeek released its AI model DeepSeek-R1.
Read more »
Texas governor orders ban on DeepSeek, RedNote for government devicesTexas ordered a ban on the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek on government devices days after the popular chatbot has shook investors and the tech community in recent weeks for its ability to compete with OpenAI. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also issued a ban on Chinese-owned social media apps RedNote and Lemon8, a subsidiary of ByteDance.
Read more »
Texas governor orders ban on DeepSeek, RedNote for government devicesTexas ordered a ban on the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek on government devices days after the popular chatbot has shook investors and the tech community in recent weeks for its ability to compete with OpenAI.
Read more »
Gov. Greg Abbott bans RedNote, DeepSeek on government devicesGov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced a ban on Chinese social media apps RedNote and Lemon8 and artificial intelligence app DeepSeek.
Read more »
Texas governor orders ban on DeepSeek, RedNote for government devicesTexas Governor Greg Abbott issued a ban on Chinese AI company DeepSeek for government-issued devices, the first state to restrict the chatbot.
Read more »