Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging Congressional leadership to pass the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” which will prohibit government devices from downloading and using the Chinese Communist Party’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence software.
In a letter sent to congressional leadership, Attorney General Marshall outlined the threat that DeepSeek poses to the United States. The platform has the capability to send user data directly to the Chinese Communist Party and users may unknowingly be creating accounts in China, making their identities and online behavior visible to the Chinese government.
“DeepSeek is a serious national security threat. If China or other adversaries gain access to our personal data, they can weaponize it for malicious purposes. Keeping China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence off of government devices isn’t just smart—it’s common sense. The risk of letting this technology connect directly to our networks and, by extension, to the Chinese Communist Party, is too great. Protecting sensitive data from adversaries should be something all Americans can agree on, regardless of political party. It’s about safeguarding our nation and ensuring our government’s security,” stated Attorney General Marshall.
China continues to be one of the biggest national security threats facing the United States. In 2023, a Chinese spy balloon was caught flying over the country. In December, the U.S. Treasury Department was notified it had been hacked by China, which gained access to employees’ workstations and stole data from a committee that reviews foreign investments for national security risks. In November, it was announced that China had been conducting cyberespionage aimed at Americans who work in government and politics.
DeepSeek has already been blocked on government devices in Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan, while Italy has blocked the program across the country. DeepSeek is also linked to China Mobile which has close ties to the Chinese military and has been sanctioned by the U.S. government.
The letter reads, “Congress should protect America’s national security by banning DeepSeek on government devices. If it has not already taken action to administratively ban DeepSeek, we trust that the Trump Administration would swiftly implement this ban to protect our national security from America’s ‘potent and dangerous’ adversary.”
Original source can be found here.