China’s DeepSeek rocked the world of AI this week, but beyond questions about how the company actually developed its model, fresh concerns about its data collection practices and potential national security implications are popping up.
Wired reports that the rapid rise of DeepSeek, a generative artificial intelligence platform created by a prominent Chinese hedge fund, has sparked both excitement and concern among industry experts and policymakers. The platform’s open-source AI model has quickly gained traction, rivaling top US-based platforms like those developed by OpenAI. However, as more users flock to DeepSeek, the company’s data collection practices and ties to China have come under increased scrutiny.
According to DeepSeek’s privacy policy, the company explicitly states that it stores all collected user information on secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China. This includes a wide range of data, such as user input, chat history, device information, and even keystroke patterns. The comprehensive nature of the data collection has raised eyebrows among privacy advocates, who warn against disclosing sensitive or personal information to AI chatbots.
Bloomberg reports that the Pentagon is rushing to block access to the tool after employees accessed it, potentially compromising security:
US Defense Department employees connected their work computers to Chinese servers to access DeepSeek’s new AI chatbot for at least two days before the Pentagon moved to shut off access, according to a defense official familiar with the matter.
The Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for the Pentagon’s IT networks, moved to block access to the Chinese startup’s website late Tuesday, the official and another person familiar with the matter said. Both asked not to be named because the information isn’t public.
The platform’s popularity surge has also brought to light instances of content censorship, with users reporting that DeepSeek has filtered out content critical of China or its policies. This has further fueled concerns about the potential for the platform to be used as a tool for propaganda or influence.
While DeepSeek’s data collection practices are alarming, they are not entirely unique in the world of generative AI. Other platforms, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have faced criticism for their data collection as well. However, the fact that DeepSeek’s data is being stored in China has raised additional concerns due to the country’s cybersecurity and privacy laws, which require organizations and citizens to cooperate with national intelligence efforts.
The rise of DeepSeek and the subsequent concerns over data privacy and national security have reignited the debate surrounding the regulation of Chinese-owned digital services in the United States. The recent ban on the Chinese-owned social video platform TikTok has highlighted the growing tensions between the two countries in the tech sector. Some experts suggest that similar regulatory action could be taken against AI firms in the future, with data collection being cited as a
primary reason.