WSJ: US Imposes Restrictions on DeepSeek Usage
A new bill in Congress aims to ban the use of the Chinese AI app on government devices due to security concerns. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
A proposed bill introduced in Congress seeks to prohibit the Chinese-developed AI app DeepSeek on all government-owned devices due to security concerns, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
DeepSeek has quickly become the most downloaded app in the United States. However, cybersecurity experts have raised alarms about hidden code in DeepSeek's application that may allow it to transmit user information to China Mobile, a state-owned telecommunications firm that is barred from operating in the U.S. The American government has alleged that the Chinese government could access sensitive data via its applications.
In response, Beijing has labeled the accusations as “ideological discrimination” and politically motivated. The Chinese foreign ministry has rejected the claims, stating that the government does not compel businesses or individuals to collect or store data unlawfully. DeepSeek has not yet released a public statement regarding these specific allegations.
Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer remarked, ”This should be a no-brainer in terms of actions we should take immediately to prevent our enemy from getting information from our government.” His fellow lawmaker, Republican Representative Darin LaHood, supported this view, affirming, “Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP [Chinese Communist Party] company to obtain sensitive government or personal data.”
The proposed legislation parallels earlier measures against the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, which was banned from government devices in 2022 over similar concerns regarding Beijing's potential data access. The Chinese government has continuously dismissed U.S. accusations against TikTok as baseless and politically motivated.
TikTok has denied being a national security threat and has attempted to alleviate concerns by launching Project Texas in 2022, which involves storing American user data on U.S. servers. The platform has also proposed a “kill switch” to enable government shutdowns in case of non-compliance. TikTok has pursued legal action against legislation that would require its parent company, ByteDance, to divest or face a ban, arguing that such laws are unconstitutional. Despite these attempts, TikTok's future in the U.S. remains uncertain.
Globally, several nations have begun to limit or ban the use of DeepSeek on government systems. Australia, South Korea, and Italy have already prohibited the app within their governmental operations, citing data security issues. In the U.S., agencies like the Navy and NASA have also blocked the application over privacy and security concerns.
Developed by the Hangzhou-based startup DeepSeek Inc., the AI assistant launched in January has outpaced the US-based OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the leading AI assistant on Apple’s App Store. Unlike ChatGPT, which offers advanced features via a subscription model, DeepSeek-R1 is available for free.
Major American technology companies, including Nvidia, have seen their market values decline. DeepSeek’s V3 and R1 models are viewed as direct competitors to OpenAI’s GPT-4o and o1 reasoning models.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise has also undermined the strategy of the previous U.S. administration, which sought to prevent China from acquiring advanced chips from the U.S. and the Netherlands.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
DeepSeek has quickly become the most downloaded app in the United States. However, cybersecurity experts have raised alarms about hidden code in DeepSeek's application that may allow it to transmit user information to China Mobile, a state-owned telecommunications firm that is barred from operating in the U.S. The American government has alleged that the Chinese government could access sensitive data via its applications.
In response, Beijing has labeled the accusations as “ideological discrimination” and politically motivated. The Chinese foreign ministry has rejected the claims, stating that the government does not compel businesses or individuals to collect or store data unlawfully. DeepSeek has not yet released a public statement regarding these specific allegations.
Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer remarked, ”This should be a no-brainer in terms of actions we should take immediately to prevent our enemy from getting information from our government.” His fellow lawmaker, Republican Representative Darin LaHood, supported this view, affirming, “Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP [Chinese Communist Party] company to obtain sensitive government or personal data.”
The proposed legislation parallels earlier measures against the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, which was banned from government devices in 2022 over similar concerns regarding Beijing's potential data access. The Chinese government has continuously dismissed U.S. accusations against TikTok as baseless and politically motivated.
TikTok has denied being a national security threat and has attempted to alleviate concerns by launching Project Texas in 2022, which involves storing American user data on U.S. servers. The platform has also proposed a “kill switch” to enable government shutdowns in case of non-compliance. TikTok has pursued legal action against legislation that would require its parent company, ByteDance, to divest or face a ban, arguing that such laws are unconstitutional. Despite these attempts, TikTok's future in the U.S. remains uncertain.
Globally, several nations have begun to limit or ban the use of DeepSeek on government systems. Australia, South Korea, and Italy have already prohibited the app within their governmental operations, citing data security issues. In the U.S., agencies like the Navy and NASA have also blocked the application over privacy and security concerns.
Developed by the Hangzhou-based startup DeepSeek Inc., the AI assistant launched in January has outpaced the US-based OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the leading AI assistant on Apple’s App Store. Unlike ChatGPT, which offers advanced features via a subscription model, DeepSeek-R1 is available for free.
Major American technology companies, including Nvidia, have seen their market values decline. DeepSeek’s V3 and R1 models are viewed as direct competitors to OpenAI’s GPT-4o and o1 reasoning models.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise has also undermined the strategy of the previous U.S. administration, which sought to prevent China from acquiring advanced chips from the U.S. and the Netherlands.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
