U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the use of DeepSeek AI on government devices, citing concerns that the Chinese-developed chatbot may be used to access sensitive information.
The legislation, proposed by Representatives Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), is the latest attempt to curb foreign-owned applications suspected of data-sharing risks.
“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. This is a five alarm national security fire,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) about the initiative.
“We must get to the bottom of DeepSeek’s malign activities. We simply can’t risk the CCP infiltrating the devices of our government officials and jeopardizing our national security. That’s why I’m introducing this common sense bipartisan legislation with my colleague, Congressman LaHood, to immediately ban DeepSeek from all U.S. government devices. We’ve seen China’s playbook before with TikTok, and we cannot allow it to happen again.”
“The technology race with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not one the United States can afford to lose,” commented Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16).
If enacted, the bill would mirror previous federal restrictions imposed on TikTok, which was banned from government networks in 2022 over fears of undue influence from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance. The TikTok owner is currently pushing its AI expansion in Europe amid regulatory and ethical scrutiny in the US.
As scrutiny over artificial intelligence applications grows, DeepSeek AI has emerged as a key target due to its connections to China. Security researchers have raised alarms over how the chatbot handles user data, warning that its back-end infrastructure may allow unauthorized data access.
The company behind the AI tool has not yet responded to the proposed ban, but its rapid adoption has already prompted concerns among Western governments. The bill’s announcement follows similar bans in multiple countries, including Australia and Italy.
DeepSeek AI’s Growth Sparks Privacy Concerns
DeepSeek AI launched as an open-source chatbot, gaining popularity for its ability to process and generate natural language responses at a level comparable to proprietary models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o. Recently, DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model has been attracting global attention for its low costs and surprisingly high performance that many have claimed rivals OpenAi’s o1 reasoning model.
Unlike closed-source AI systems, which limit external access to their underlying architecture, open-source models allow developers to inspect, modify, and deploy them freely. While this transparency fosters rapid innovation, it also introduces security risks if not properly managed.
Despite its appeal, the AI tool has drawn scrutiny from security experts. An analysis by Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot Security, uncovered hidden code within DeepSeek’s software that appears capable of transmitting user credentials to China Mobile, a state-controlled telecom company that has been banned from operating in the U.S. for national security reasons.
“We see direct links to servers and companies in China that are under control of the Chinese government. This is something we’ve never seen before,” Tsarynny said in an interview with ABC News.
The potential data-sharing risks associated with DeepSeek have led multiple U.S. agencies to preemptively restrict its use. The US Navy and NASA have already placed internal bans on the chatbot, while Texas became the first state to enforce a statewide prohibition.
Similar actions have been taken overseas, with Australia banning the AI tool from government networks earlier this week. And Italy’s data protection authority, Garante, has launched a formal investigation into DeepSeek.
South Korea’s government has also introduced internal measures to limit the use of DeepSeek AI in critical infrastructure. Security officials cited concerns that the chatbot’s data-processing mechanisms could expose classified information if deployed on government networks.
These coordinated efforts signal a broader move by Western and allied nations to limit Chinese-owned AI applications in sectors where data security is paramount.
DeepSeek AI and the Rising Tensions Over AI Regulation
DeepSeek’s situation is unfolding amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China over AI regulation and trade policy. The Biden administration already imposed export restrictions on high-performance AI chips, preventing Chinese companies from accessing key technologies required for training advanced AI models.
These restrictions have pushed companies like Alibaba and Huawei to accelerate the development of homegrown AI solutions. Past investigations have also raised concerns that DeepSeek’s developers may have benefited from classified AI research.
Beijing has responded by tightening its regulatory grip on U.S. tech firms operating in China. Authorities recently launched an antitrust investigation into Google, a move widely seen as retaliation for U.S. efforts to curb China’s AI ambitions.
The regulatory disputes between Washington and Beijing highlight the growing role of AI in global power dynamics, as governments seek to maintain control over data access and technological influence.
Google Report Warns of AI-Driven Cyber Threats
The concerns over DeepSeek AI are part of a wider debate on the risks associated with AI-powered cyber threats. A recent report from Google’s Threat Intelligence Group revealed that state-sponsored hacking groups from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have been leveraging AI to conduct cyber espionage operations.
According to Google’s findings, AI-driven tools have been used to automate reconnaissance, analyze target networks, and enhance the sophistication of cyberattacks.
In January 2024, top U.S. officials, including Jen Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), warned that advances in artificial intelligence may facilitate cyber crime by reducing the technical expertise required to carry out such activities
As governments scramble to regulate AI technologies, DeepSeek has become a test case for how Western nations will handle foreign-owned AI systems that operate within their borders. Whether the proposed U.S. legislation will gain traction remains to be seen, but the political momentum behind restricting DeepSeek is growing.
What Happens Next for DeepSeek AI?
DeepSeek AI has not yet publicly responded to the security concerns raised by researchers or to the U.S. legislative proposal. However, with the growing number of government restrictions, the chatbot’s long-term viability in Western markets is increasingly in doubt.
If the proposed bill is passed, DeepSeek could face the same scrutiny that led to TikTok’s removal from government networks, a move that later escalated into broader regulatory battles.
Despite the growing number of bans, the app remains accessible to the general public, and there are no immediate plans to prohibit its use beyond government agencies.
However, some experts suggest that regulatory discussions surrounding DeepSeek could set a precedent for how lawmakers approach AI governance in the coming years. The debate highlights the increasing role of AI security in national policies, with governments weighing the trade-offs between technological openness and cybersecurity protections.
As tensions between the U.S. and China continue to shape technology policies, the future of DeepSeek AI in Western markets remains uncertain. Whether lawmakers will succeed in blocking the chatbot from federal systems—and whether further restrictions will follow—will depend on how the conversation around AI regulation evolves in the months ahead.
