New York Moves to Ban DeepSeek AI on State Government Devices
By Movieguide® Contributor
The New York state government has moved to protect its data from Chinese infiltration by banning the use of DeepSeek AI on government devices.
“Public safety is my top priority and we’re working aggressively to protect New Yorkers from foreign and domestic threats,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “New York will continue fighting to combat cyber threats, ensure the privacy and safety of our data, and safeguard against state-sponsored censorship.”
“The decision by Governor Hochel to prevent downloads of DeepSeek is consistent with the State’s Acceptable Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies policy that was established at her direction over a year ago to responsibly evaluate AI systems, better serve New Yorkers, and ensure agencies remain vigilant about protecting against unwanted outcomes,” added New York State Office of Information Technology Services Chief Information Officer and Director Dru Rai. “I commend the Governor for recognizing that this must continue to be the highest priority.”
While DeepSeek was released to the public less than one month ago, New York is one of multiple states that has already moved to keep it off of government devices. The speed at which these bans are occurring reflects a national concern over the safety of data on government devices being collected by other nations. Many of the laws enacted against DeepSeek came into place in response to TikTok.
In August 2023, New York instituted a TikTok ban on government devices which was particularly controversial because multiple government accounts associated with New York City had garnered a significant following. The city’s sanitation department ran an account with over 47,000 followers, while the fire department’s account reached nearly 500,000 followers.
READ MORE: NYC BANS TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES
New York isn’t the only state to move quickly in its decision against DeepSeek. At the beginning of February, Texas announced it would be banning DeepSeek on its government devices, along with Chinese social media app RedNote.
House lawmakers, Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., also took a stand against the platform, introducing the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” last week which would ban federal employees from using the AI tech on government-owned devices.
READ MORE: TEXAS GOVERNOR BANS THESE CHINESE-OWNED APPS ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES
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