Growing concerns around the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek have led a pair of congressional lawmakers to encourage governors around the country to ban the app on government devices.
In a letter to 47 governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C., shared first with NBC News, Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., warn that DeepSeek could introduce data privacy and cybersecurity risks, as well as potentially open the door for foreign adversaries to access sensitive government information.
Gottheimer, who is also running for New Jersey governor this year, and LaHood have already co-sponsored a bill in the House that would ban DeepSeek on all federal government devices. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate last week.
Their warning comes after The Associated Press reported that the chatbot has code embedded in it that would allow user login information to be transferred to China Mobile. China Mobile is a massive, state-owned telecommunications company that’s barred from operating in the United States.
DeepSeek also acknowledges on the app that it stores user data on servers inside China.
Gottheimer and LaHood said they are worried that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using DeepSeek to steal the user data of the American people.
“The CCP 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,” the letter reads. “The U.S. has been a leader in raising concerns on companies tied to the CCP, most notably Huawei and Byte Dance, that pose a direct threat to our national security.”
Texas, New York and Virginia have already banned DeepSeek on state government devices. Earlier this year, the congressional administration office warned congressional staffers not to download the app on any government-issued device.
In the past, the Chinese government has shrugged off concerns that it was attempting to manipulate or take advantage of the data of users of China-based tech products.
“The Chinese government attaches great importance to and legally protects data privacy and security,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a briefing in Beijing in early February. “It has never and will never require companies or individuals to collect or store data in violation of the law.”
Gottheimer and LaHood argue that state governments should not take the risk.
“By enacting these bans, you would send a clear message that your state remains committed to maintaining the highest level of security and preventing one of our greatest adversaries from accessing sensitive state, federal, and personal information,” they wrote.
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