US mulling a ban on Chinese app DeepSeek from government devices, source says

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a ban on the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from U.S. government devices due to national security concerns, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Officials are particularly concerned about how DeepSeek handles user data, as the company stores its information on servers located in China. This issue was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which also noted that discussions on potential restrictions are still in the early stages.

In addition to prohibiting the chatbot on government devices, administration officials are exploring further measures, including removing DeepSeek from app stores and imposing restrictions on U.S.-based cloud providers that offer its AI models to customers.

DeepSeek has already made waves in the AI industry, with its low-cost AI models triggering a significant sell-off in global equity markets in January amid fears that its emergence could threaten leading AI firms.

Meanwhile, a coalition of 21 state attorneys general has urged Congress to pass legislation barring government devices from downloading or using DeepSeek AI software.

The White House has not yet commented on these developments.