South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson urges Congress to ban Chinese AI software 'DeepSeek' on government devices

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a total of 21 states urging Congress to pass the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” (H.R. 1121). It would prohibit government devices from downloading and using AI software developed by the Chinese Communist Party’s DeepSeek AI Software (“DeepSeek”), to protect America’s national security from Chinese espionage.

Cybersecurity experts have raised alarms about DeepSeek, which collects a range of sensitive data, including chat histories, keystroke patterns, and search queries. The software is capable of sending this information directly to the Chinese government, raising concerns over potential espionage. 

"China is one of the greatest threats to our national security, and we cannot afford to allow its tools of espionage to infiltrate our government systems," said Attorney General Wilson. "DeepSeek has the capability to harvest sensitive data from government devices, putting our nation’s security and the personal information of public servants at risk. We must act now to close this vulnerability before it is too late." 

Several countries, including Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Italy, have already blocked DeepSeek on government devices due to security concerns. The U.S. must act to take similar action to safeguard its secrets.

The ‘No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act’ follows similar legislation passed in 2022 to ban TikTok on government devices. The bipartisan support for this bill highlights the urgency of addressing the growing threat posed by Chinese technology to U.S. national security. 

Montana led on the letter. South Carolina is joined by the following states that signed on: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.  

Read the full letter here.