US Commerce Department Bans China Based AI DeepSeek on Government Devices
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The U.S. Commerce Department has prohibited the use of Chinese artificial intelligence model DeepSeek on government devices, Reuters reports, citing a message sent to staffers and two individuals familiar with the matter.
"To help keep Department of Commerce information systems safe, access to the new Chinese based AI DeepSeek is broadly prohibited on all GFE," read the mass email sent to staffers about their government-furnished equipment, which was reviewed by Reuters.
"Do not download, view, access any applications, desktop apps or websites related to DeepSeek."
The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the full extent of the ban across the US government remains undetermined.
DeepSeek's emergence as a low-cost alternative in the AI space sparked a selloff in global equity markets this past January, as investors questioned the US's sustained leadership in AI.
The ban appears to stem from concerns among US officials and members of Congress regarding data privacy and the potential compromise of sensitive government information through DeepSeek.
Congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Darin LaHood, members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation to ban DeepSeek on government devices in February, and sent letters to US governors urging them to take similar action.
"By using DeepSeek, users are unknowingly sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with the CCP — such as contracts, documents, and financial records," the lawmakers wrote in a March 3 letter, referring to the Chinese Communist Party, as cited by Reuters. "In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary."
Following these recommendations, several states, including Virginia, Texas, and New York, have implemented bans on DeepSeek on government-issued devices, and a coalition of 21 state attorneys general has urged Congress to pass federal legislation on the matter.