US lawmakers have introduced a bill to prohibit the use of the Chinese AI program DeepSeek on government devices, citing concerns over user data security. The bill, introduced on Thursday by Representative Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Representative Darin LaHood, a Republican from Illinois, warns of an “alarming threat to US national security” and highlights DeepSeek’s “direct ties” to the Chinese government.
The move follows a Wednesday report by US cybersecurity firm Feroot Security, which revealed that DeepSeek’s AI model contains hidden code that could transmit user data to China Mobile, a state-owned telecom company.
DeepSeek, a Chinese startup, made waves in the AI industry last month with the launch of its affordable, high-quality chatbot, challenging the US and other nations’ lead in AI development.
“The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spread harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans,” Gottheimer said in a statement. LaHood, referring to DeepSeek as a “CCP-affiliated company,” emphasized that it should never be allowed to “obtain sensitive government or personal data.”
The bill comes as South Korea’s ministries and police announced they are blocking DeepSeek from accessing their computers, following the company’s failure to respond to a data watchdog’s request regarding its user data practices. Additionally, Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices based on security agency recommendations, and both France and Italy have raised concerns about the program’s data handling.
Meanwhile, the video-sharing app TikTok is also facing potential US legislation requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest or face a ban in the United States.
