In a significant move on Thursday, US lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at banning the Chinese artificial intelligence program DeepSeek from being used on government devices. The bill, sponsored by Representative Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Representative Darin LaHood, a Republican from Illinois, comes amid growing concerns over user data security and its potential risks to national security.
The legislation follows a Wednesday report by US cybersecurity firm Feroot Security, which revealed that DeepSeek’s AI model contains hidden code capable of transmitting user data to China Mobile, a state-owned telecom giant. This discovery has fueled concerns about the direct ties between the Chinese government and the AI program.
A Growing National Security Concern
Gottheimer, citing an “alarming threat to US national security,” emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could exploit tools like DeepSeek to undermine US security, spread disinformation, and collect sensitive data. “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,” Gottheimer stated.
LaHood, also vocal about the issue, described DeepSeek as a “CCP-affiliated company” and underscored that “under no circumstances” should the AI program be allowed to access sensitive government or personal data.
Global Concerns Spark Action
The introduction of the bill follows a growing wave of international scrutiny. In South Korea, ministries and police have blocked DeepSeek’s access to government computers after the company failed to respond to a data watchdog request regarding its data management practices. Meanwhile, Australia has already banned DeepSeek on the recommendation of its security agencies, with both France and Italy expressing concerns over the AI program’s data handling.
The bill also comes amid heightened attention on Chinese technology companies, with popular video-sharing app TikTok currently facing a US law that would force it to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a potential ban in the United States.
As tensions around user data security rise, lawmakers are taking steps to address what they consider an urgent and growing threat to national security.
