Washington:The United States has prohibited the Chinese artificial intelligence company Hangzhou DeepSeek from accessing federal civilian agency networks, citing significant espionage and cybersecurity risks. This decision comes amidst escalating technological competition with China.
According to Anadolu Agency – English, the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive stating that DeepSeek's models present multiple threat vectors. James Percival, the department's General Counsel, highlighted that the company's servers are located in China, where local legislation allows government cyber and intelligence agencies extensive access to private company infrastructure.
The directive further cautioned that DeepSeek's platform could expose sensitive operational queries to foreign interception. It warned that transferring information to China could result in actionable intelligence on U.S. individuals and government programs. Independent assessments have identified critical vulnerabilities in DeepSeek's mobile software and user fingerprinting risks.
The directive mandates that civilian executive branch agencies must immediately remove DeepSeek software, affiliated tools, and third-party applications using its framework. Additionally, federal authorities are instructed to exclude DeepSeek from approved product lists. Agencies can submit exemption requests within 60 days through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for mission-critical functions.
As the removal process is underway, interim cybersecurity measures must be enforced, including enhanced network logging, strict controls on outbound data transfers, and continuous network traffic monitoring for anomalies.
In response, Beijing criticized the U.S. measures against DeepSeek. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China opposes the overextension of national security concepts and the politicization of science, technology, and economic issues, asserting that China will protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.