Legislation to prohibit the Chinese artificial intelligence software DeepSeek on federal devices is being proposed by a bipartisan duo in the U.S. House. This policy is modeled after one that is now in place for the well-known social media platform Facebook.
On Thursday, Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) filed the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” which would prohibit federal employees from using the Chinese AI program on devices owned by the government. As justifications for excluding the app from governmental networks, they pointed to the Chinese government’s capacity to utilize it for surveillance and disinformation.
In a statement, Gottheimer stated, “The Chinese Communist Party has made it very clear that it will use any means at its disposal to compromise our national security, spread false information, and gather information on Americans.” “We just cannot afford to let the CCP compromise our national security by infiltrating our government officials’ devices.”
The proposal follows the publication in December of an AI model by the Chinese software business that outperformed models created by American companies such as OpenAI, Meta, Alphabet, and others. At a fraction of the price of its American competitors, DeepSeek claimed to have developed the model. A study published in January regarding DeepSeek’s capabilities sparked discussions and concerns among prominent Silicon Valley technologists and financiers as well as lawmakers.
According to the security research group Feroot, DeepSeek possesses computer code that might transmit some user login credentials to a Chinese state-owned telecom corporation that has been prohibited from conducting business in the United States. Gottheimer stated that the primary motivation for introducing the bill was security concerns.
It was alarming enough and we should immediately ban it from all government equipment and warn the public about the dangers. That’s a crucial first step, in my opinion, Gottheimer said. Americans should be aware of the effects on their personal data and privacy, particularly because we know that they are exchanging extremely sensitive information, documents, contracts, and proprietary information about AI chatbots.
According to Gottheimer, Congress should look into DeepSeek’s monitoring capabilities further and all members of Congress should be informed of them.
The upheaval surrounding AI coincides with increased competition between China and the United States in technological advancement, among other sectors. In addition to imposing tariffs on Chinese imports, the United States has prohibited the export of cutting-edge microchips believed to be necessary for creating the most advanced AI models and restricted the usage of Chinese tech companies like Huawei in government networks.
Congress and then-President Joe Biden authorized a divestiture of the well-known social media platform TikTok from its Chinese parent firm last year, or risk a nationwide ban; however, that policy has since been put on hold. Last month, President Donald Trump, who first suggested banning the app during his first term, signed an executive order that extends the time for a long-term solution before the legally mandated ban goes into force.
Biden prohibited TikTok from using federally owned equipment in 2023.
LaHood stated in a statement that the United States cannot afford to lose the technology race with the Chinese Communist Party. This bipartisan, reasonable bill will prevent the app from being downloaded to federal employees’ phones and shut down any backdoors the firm may be using to gain access. Congress must protect American citizens’ data and maintain American leadership in artificial intelligence.
According to the bill, DeepSeek and any AI applications created by its parent business, the hedge fund High-Flyer, would be specifically prohibited. The bill permits federal employers to do research on DeepSeek through exclusions for national security and research objectives.
There are lawmakers that want to go farther. Citing national security concerns, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a measure last week that would prohibit the import or export of any AI technology from China.
Citing security concerns, a number of nations have taken steps to completely or partially ban DeepSeek’s AI chatbot from being used on government-owned devices.
Italy’s data protection regulator initiated an investigation into the firms behind the chatbot last month and stopped access to the application, claiming the action would protect user data. This week, Taiwan said that its government agencies would no longer be able to use Deepseek’s AI. The industries ministry of South Korea has also temporarily prohibited staff members from using the app. DeepSeek was prohibited from government networks and devices in Australia, the country stated this week.
RedNote, a Chinese TikTok substitute, and DeepSeek were prohibited from using state-provided devices in Texas by an order issued by Governor Greg Abbott.
