Lawmakers encourage governors ban DeepSeek on government devices

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence application, has raised concerns among lawmakers, with two members of the House of Representatives imploring governors to act as they attempt regulation at the federal level.

Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), both members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, have proposed legislation banning DeepSeek on federal government devices. Now, they are taking their plea to governors. The two congressmen wrote to governors across the country imploring them to ban DeepSeek on government devices at the state level.

“By using DeepSeek, users are unknowingly sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with the [Chinese Communist Party] — such as contracts, documents, and financial records. In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary. The CCP 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,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

“The U.S. has been a leader in raising concerns on companies tied to the CCP, most notably Huawei and Byte Dance, that pose a direct threat to our national security. Now, we have deeply disturbing evidence that the CCP could use DeepSeek to steal the sensitive data of U.S. citizens,” the letter continued.

LaHood and Gottheimer called on governors to “ban the use and download of DeepSeek from all state government affiliated devices and networks.” The lawmakers argue doing so “would send a clear message that your state remains committed to maintaining the highest level of security and preventing one of our greatest adversaries from accessing sensitive state, federal, and personal information.”

While Virginia, Texas, and New York have already banned DeepSeek from government devices, various states and the federal government have banned TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media app, from government devices.

TikTok has had similar concerns regarding privacy and the Chinese government’s access to user data. The recent introduction of DeepSeek as a competitor to United States-based AI apps has renewed concerns about Chinese attempts to get U.S. user data.

While discussions about limiting access to DeepSeek currently only involve government devices, TikTok could face a ban next month if it does not sell the platform away from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

The original deadline for the sale or ban was Jan. 19, but the outgoing Biden administration declined to enforce it, and the Trump administration gave the app’s owners a 75-day extension — until April 5.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3335015/lawmakers-encourage-governors-ban-deepseek-government-devices/