New York has banned DeepSeek‘s AI app from government devices, citing security concerns about the Chinese-owned company. It’s the TikTok ban discourse all over again.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the statewide DeepSeek ban on Monday, stating that “New York will continue fighting to combat cyber threats, ensure the privacy and safety of our data, and safeguard against state-sponsored censorship.”
Though DeepSeek has been around for a while, the company made a huge splash in January when it released a chatbot app based on its DeepSeek R-1 model. DeepSeek’s new AI assistant swiftly shot to the top of Apple’s App Store, impressing users with its superiority over rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT when it comes to technical tasks. It’s also free, unlike ChatGPT.
Unsurprisingly, DeepSeek’s meteoric success alarmed the U.S. tech industry, particularly as it claimed its AI chatbot was developed at a fraction of the cost of OpenAI’s models. Nvidia’s stock plummeted in response, with investors realising that future development of AI technology may not require as many GPUs as U.S. companies have been using.
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Questions also quickly arose regarding DeepSeek’s security, and what the company might do with users’ inputted data. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about whether the Chinese government might censor content or use the app to surveil users. Some users have reported censorship on DeepSeek, particularly regarding criticism of the Chinese government.
“Serious concerns have been raised concerning DeepSeek AI’s connection to foreign government surveillance and censorship, including how DeepSeek can be used to harvest user data and steal technology secrets,” read Hochul’s announcement.
New York isn’t the only U.S. state which has prohibited government employees from downloading DeepSeek. In late January, Texas Governor Greg Abbott banned Chinese social media and AI apps on government devices, including DeepSeek, RedNote, and Lemon8. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Darin LaHood also introduced the unambiguous bipartisan bill “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” to the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, which would impact all federal employees.
Though DeepSeek is only prohibited on U.S. government devices for now, and only in a few states, such bans may be a precursor to wider restrictions. Last Monday, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bill that would “prohibit the import from or export to China of artificial intelligence technology,” regardless of whether the user is a government employee or not. While the proposed “Decoupling America’s Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act” doesn’t specifically single out DeepSeek by name, it’s clear that the AI company is of significant concern to the U.S. government.
The U.S. government’s concern about DeepSeek mirrors its attention toward TikTok, the video sharing app having also been accused of surveilling users and spreading propaganda at the behest of the Chinese government. Though TikTok was prohibited on all U.S. government devices in early 2023, by Jan. 2025 the app was legally banned across the entire country. President Donald Trump temporarily delayed the ban so he can “negotiate a resolution” to officials’ national security concerns, however TikTok could very well exit the U.S. entirely if one is not agreed to by April.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
DeepSeek
