A claim recently spread on Chinese social media, suggesting the United States had banned the Chinese AI chatbot service, DeepSeek. However, this claim is false. While some U.S. government agencies have restricted DeepSeek’s use, there is no nationwide ban.
The claim appeared on Weibo on February 5. It stated, “The United States has announced a ban on downloading DeepSeek, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.” The post included an image of an article from Sina Finance, a Chinese news outlet. The article claimed, “The U.S. Congress had already enacted legislation comprehensively banning AI models from China.”
DeepSeek is a popular Chinese AI chatbot that recently became the most downloaded app on Apple’s iPhone, surpassing ChatGPT. Despite its efficiency, DeepSeek has faced scrutiny regarding Chinese censorship and information control. Some governments have even banned it due to its ties with Chinese telecom companies.
However, the claim of a nationwide U.S. ban is false. As of February 10, no such ban exists. Instead, the U.S. has taken limited steps to restrict DeepSeek’s use.
In Congress, a bipartisan bill called the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” was introduced to ban federal employees from using the AI on government-issued devices, citing concerns about potential data access by the Chinese government. Similarly, Netherlands and South Korea have banned DeepSeek for government employees, reflecting broader international security concerns over Chinese AI models.
At the state level, Texas became the first to ban DeepSeek on government devices. Governor Greg Abbott emphasized the need to protect sensitive information from foreign interference. Additionally, organizations like the U.S. Navy and NASA have banned DeepSeek for their personnel, citing security and ethical concerns.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has responded by introducing a new ChatGPT tool to counter China’s DeepSeek, further intensifying the competition in the AI space. This follows a broader discussion about how DeepSeek compares to ChatGPT, particularly in terms of functionality, language capabilities, and censorship policies.
The bill mentioned in the Sina Finance article is unrelated to DeepSeek. Introduced by Iowa Senator Josh Hawley in January 2025, it seeks to prevent Americans from assisting Chinese AI development. It proposes banning U.S. companies from supporting Chinese AI research or purchasing Chinese AI technology. However, it does not specifically target DeepSeek.
In summary, while some U.S. agencies and states have restricted DeepSeek’s use, there is no nationwide ban. The claim circulating on Chinese social media is false. DeepSeek remains accessible to most users, though concerns over data privacy and security persist.
