Powerful House committee probes whether DeepSeek harvests US data and spews CCP propaganda
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is launching a new investigation into DeepSeek, a company accused of having ties to the Chinese government and compromising U.S. data security. Members of the committee are demanding information from DeepSeek on the U.S. data used to train their AI model, expressing concerns about the company’s alleged sharing of Americans’ personal and proprietary information with Chinese officials.
Chairman Brett Guthrie and Gus Bilirakis issued a statement raising concerns about DeepSeek’s privacy policy, which states that user data is stored in secure servers located in China. This data includes all questions or chats sent to DeepSeek’s AI model and the corresponding answers. The committee is worried that this close relationship with Chinese entities connected to the Chinese Communist Party poses a threat to national security.
Several states, including New York, Texas, and Virginia, have already banned DeepSeek from government devices due to security risks. This situation mirrors the controversy surrounding TikTok, a Chinese-owned platform that faced scrutiny over data-sharing with the CCP and is now banned on government devices in the U.S.
Countries like Canada, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Italy have also blocked DeepSeek over security concerns. South Korea recently accused the company of sharing user data with ByteDance, another Chinese company. The committee’s letter highlights the issue of Chinese companies accessing U.S. technology to advance AI development, with reports suggesting that DeepSeek trained its AI model by distilling outputs from American competitors.
In response to the investigation, Guthrie requested DeepSeek to provide details on the types and sources of data used to train their AI models, including any U.S. proprietary or personal information. The committee also wants confirmation on whether data collected by DeepSeek is shared with Chinese state entities and if the AI system’s output is influenced to align with CCP political goals.
The deadline for DeepSeek to respond to the committee’s requests is May 8. The company has gained attention for matching the capabilities of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT at a lower development cost. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over AI and data privacy, played a key role in legislation targeting TikTok’s ties to ByteDance.
In a report released by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, DeepSeek was accused of funneling American data to China and manipulating results to align with CCP propaganda. The ongoing investigation into DeepSeek underscores the growing concerns about data security and the influence of foreign entities on U.S. technology.
