DeepSeek prohibited across US Commerce Department bureaus

Mounting data privacy concerns surrounding Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek have prompted U.S. Commerce Department bureaus to ban its usage across all government-issued devices, Reuters reports.

"Do not download, view, access any applications, desktop apps or websites related to DeepSeek," said a letter to Commerce Department staffers.

Such a development comes after legislation that would restrict DeepSeek use across the U.S. government was unveiled by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence members Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., who later urged state governors to issue a similar prohibition.

"By using DeepSeek, users are unknowingly sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with the [Chinese Communist Party] — such as contracts, documents, and financial records. In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary," said the lawmakers in letters to the governors earlier this month. DeepSeek has already been forbidden in New York, Texas, and Virginia governments.