China is Reportedly Using DeepSeek for Surveillance on the US

The U.S. is considering banning DeepSeek AI on government equipment, potentially making it the second nation to do so after Australia. U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood and Josh Gottheimer have put forward a bipartisan measure advocating for the ban.

In a letter addressed to 47 state governors and Washington, D.C.’s mayor, the lawmakers expressed concerns that DeepSeek could endanger cybersecurity, the privacy of American citizens, and confidential government data.

Although China has denied these claims, experts suggest that the concerns raised by U.S. officials are valid. Reports indicate that the Chinese government has used AI tools for extensive surveillance, including biometric data collection, social media monitoring, and intelligence gathering for its military and security agencies. There are also allegations that such technologies have been used to target dissidents abroad and spread disinformation.

Several major Chinese security and surveillance firms—NetEase, TopSec, and QAX—have integrated DeepSeek into their services. The companies provide support to the Chinese government, with some openly stating that DeepSeek enhances their surveillance capabilities and cyber censorship.

In January, the Canadian cybersecurity startup Feroot Security found embedded code in DeepSeek’s login procedure that sends user information to the state-owned cellphone provider China Mobile. When deciphered, the code—which the Associated Press called an “obfuscated computer script”—uncovered connections to China Mobile-controlled infrastructure.

The U.S. government banned the company in 2019, citing national security concerns and its connections to China’s military intelligence operations.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has reported that China-based entities have been utilizing AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek to craft phishing emails and spread disinformation against the U.S. Some of these operations, run by accounts linked to China, were recently shut down by OpenAI.

Chinese influence campaigns also extended to Spanish-language media. OpenAI identified AI-generated articles that criticized U.S. policies, which were published in various Latin American and Spanish news outlets.

A review by Voice of America found that between October and November last year, at least nine such articles were published in Spanish. Some of these pieces criticized U.S. sanctions on foreign governments, described American support for Ukraine as an act of war escalation, and accused Washington of moral and political decline. Other articles highlighted issues such as homelessness, child nutrition, and crime in the U.S., portraying the country as a failing state.

Though the subject matter varied, the overall narrative aligned with Beijing’s standard messaging, which seeks to undermine the United States’ global influence. U.S. tech companies like Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) have an opportunity to come up with top rated AI products so that when foreign-made ones like DeepSeek are locked out, there are equally good alternatives to address the needs of Americans who need these technologies.

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