Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated an investigation into DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company linked to the Chinese Communist Party. The focus is on the privacy practices of its AI platform and its claims of having an AI model that rivals advanced models like OpenAI's Model o1.
Paxton has informed DeepSeek that its platform violates the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. As part of this investigation, he sent Civil Investigative Demands to Google and Apple, requesting their analysis of the DeepSeek application and related documentation submitted by DeepSeek before making the app available to consumers.
"DeepSeek appears to be no more than a proxy for the CCP to undermine American AI dominance and steal the data of our citizens," said Attorney General Paxton. "That’s why I’m announcing a thorough investigation and calling on Google and Apple to cooperate immediately by providing all relevant documents related to the DeepSeek app. The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation, and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law."
On January 28, Paxton ordered a ban on DeepSeek's platform across all Office of the Attorney General devices due to security concerns and its apparent allegiance to the CCP, including censorship tendencies regarding criticism of the Chinese government.