Deepseek may be banned in the US

Deepseek may be banned in the United States following a newly proposed law that could see people in the US face significant fines or even jail time for using technology developed in China.

The bill, filed by Josh Hawley, a Republican Senator, aims to “prohibit United States persons from advancing artificial intelligence capabilities within the People’s Republic of China, and for other persons.”

The proposed law would prevent the importation of “technology or intellectual property” developed in China, with anyone violating the restrictions facing up to 20 years in prison. Individuals could also be fined up to $1 million, while for businesses, it could reach up to $100m.

Although it does not mention DeepSeek by name, it comes just a week after the Chinese AI became the most popular AI app, causing US tech stocks to plummet.

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Its sudden popularity prompted concerns about security, privacy, and ethics., including DeepSeek’s inability to answer questions about topics sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party.

Donald Trump, the US President, had described the Chinese app as a “wake-up call” for the American tech industry. The White House is reportedly evaluating DeepSeek’s impacts on national security.

The United States Navy has already banned its members from using DeepSeek for either work-related tasks or personal use, while NASA has forbidden the AI technology on government-issued devices and networks.

Several US states have also noted that they are agreeing to a DeepSeek ban. Texas became the first to implement a ban on government devices.

“Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state’s critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps,” said Greg Abbott, Texas Governor. “Texas will continue to protect and defend our state from hostile foreign actors.”

Security experts have also warned that DeepSeek could pose an even greater threat to businesses and governments than other Chinese-owned apps like TikTok, as data is stored in servers in China.

“As stated in their privacy policy, DeepSeek is a shared cloud service run in China with data being stored in China – potentially introducing unknown risks to data privacy, compliance mandates, and security controls,” said Bill Conner, former security advisor to the US government.