The Pentagon is scrambling to block DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot after U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) employees connected their work computers to Chinese servers, Bloomberg reports.
Despite DeepSeek’s terms of service explicitly stating that user data is stored on Chinese servers and governed by Chinese law, DoD workers used the chatbot for at least two days, raising serious national security concerns.
While the Pentagon has started blocking access to DeepSeek on some networks, some employees can still access the service, according to Bloomberg. The U.S. government is now assessing the security risks posed by DeepSeek’s growing popularity, especially as the chatbot climbs to the top of both the U.S. Apple and Google Play stores.
Concerns over China’s data access laws—which require companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies—have fueled fears about potential data leaks and espionage risks. In response, the U.S. Navy banned employees from using DeepSeek on January 24, citing security and ethical concerns, CNBC reported. As interest in the AI chatbot surges, more U.S. agencies may follow suit with restrictions to prevent sensitive government data from reaching foreign-controlled platforms.
