A United States (U.S.) congressional delegation wants to stop official government device access to the artificial intelligence chatbot produced by Chinese company DeepSeek. Two lawmakers including Republican Darin LaHood from Illinois and Democrat Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey will present legislation the following Friday to ban DeepSeek due to suspected threats to national safety.
U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood and Josh Gottheimer are introducing legislation citing national security concerns over DeepSeek’s technology, which they claim poses an espionage risk. An analysis revealed the chatbot app includes hidden code that sends user information to China Mobile which remains banned in the nation because it is a state-controlled telecommunications company.
DeepSeek is the latest focus in the ongoing competition for technological dominance between the United States and China. This initiative follows DeepSeek’s recent release of an advanced AI model, named R1, which matches the capabilities of leading American models while being cheaper to train and requiring less energy.
Read more: DeepSeek’s national security threats trigger bans in Australia and Taiwan
Concern grows that America could trail behind China in AI advancement because this new model emerged from a Chinese startup under American AI chip export restrictions.
Government agencies will receive a 60-day deadline to create standards and guidelines that pertain to DeepSeek along with all applications from High Flyer for removal from official devices. The proposal implements measures compatible with recent government decisions in Australia together with Italy along with Taiwan and South Korea.
South Korea’s Industry Ministry takes action
Yesterday, South Korea’s industry ministry temporarily restricted employee access to the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek due to security issues, as reported by a ministry official. The government is urging caution regarding the use of generative AI services. In addition, the government issued a notice advising ministries and agencies to be cautious about utilizing AI services, including ChatGPT, in their operations.
State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power announced it had blocked access to AI services, including DeepSeek, earlier this month. Additionally, the defence ministry has also restricted access to DeepSeek on computers designated for military use, according to officials on Thursday. The foreign ministry has limited access to DeepSeek on devices connected to external networks, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. The ministry noted it cannot disclose specific security measures.
