The Chinese AI application DeepSeek has gained popularity in the U.S., prompting concerns from Trump administration officials, lawmakers, and cybersecurity experts about potential national security threats. The sudden introduction of DeepSeek caused a significant drop in shares of U.S. chip manufacturer Nvidia. President Trump labeled the debut as a “wake-up call” and announced that the National Security Council would examine the national security implications. Lawmakers expressed worries about the application’s access to U.S. users and called for stronger export controls on technologies critical to DeepSeek’s infrastructure.
The spotlight on DeepSeek reflects rising tensions between the U.S. and China over trade, technology, and other issues. Concerns have been raised about data security and privacy, as DeepSeek’s servers are located in China where data access by the government is broad. This differs from TikTok, which moved its U.S. data to American infrastructure. DeepSeek’s open-source model, however, may present fewer national security threats than TikTok. Users outside China also face censorship issues, such as the lack of results for sensitive historical events like the Tiananmen Square protests.
Experts warn that the use of DeepSeek could lead to the sharing of personal data with Chinese authorities for targeted messaging and potentially harmful activities. The emergence of DeepSeek in the U.S. raises questions about the regulation of foreign-owned tech platforms and the need to safeguard against advancing censorship and disinformation campaigns. Policymakers may face pressure to act to prevent Chinese narratives and censorship from influencing users of the app.
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