Bipartisan Report Exposes DeepSeek as National Security Threat
Washington, D.C. – Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on China have released a comprehensive investigative report revealing DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence platform, as a significant national security threat to the United States.
The report, titled “DeepSeek Unmasked: Exposing the CCP’s Latest Tool For Spying, Stealing, and Subverting U.S. Export Control Restrictions,” details how DeepSeek allegedly funnels American user data to the Chinese Communist Party, manipulates information to align with CCP propaganda, and was trained using material unlawfully obtained from U.S. AI models. Key findings include:
- Censorship by Design: Over 85% of DeepSeek’s responses are manipulated to suppress content related to democracy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and human rights without user disclosure.
- Foreign Control: DeepSeek is owned and operated by a CCP-linked company led by Lian Wenfang and ideologically aligned with Xi Jinping Thought.
- U.S. User Data at Risk: The platform allegedly channels American user data through unsecured networks to China, serving as a high-value intelligence asset for the CCP.
- Surveillance Network Ties: DeepSeek’s infrastructure is linked to Chinese state-affiliated firms including ByteDance, Baidu, Tencent, and China Mobile.
- Illicit Chip Procurement: DeepSeek was reportedly developed using over 60,000 Nvidia chips, potentially obtained in circumvention of U.S. export controls.
- Corporate Complicity: Public records indicate Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang directed the company to design a modified chip to exploit regulatory loopholes after October 2023 restrictions.
In response to these findings, the Select Committee has sent a formal letter to Nvidia demanding answers about sales to China and Southeast Asia to examine whether its chips were used to power DeepSeek’s AI models despite U.S. export restrictions. The Committee will continue investigating how American innovation is being exploited by the CCP and work to ensure U.S. companies are not enabling efforts to undermine national security.
“This report makes it clear: DeepSeek isn’t just another AI app — it’s a weapon in the CCP’s arsenal, designed to spy on Americans, steal our technology, and subvert U.S. law,” said Chairman Moolenaar. “American innovation should never be the engine of our adversaries’ ambitions.”
The full report is available: DeepSeek Unmasked: Exposing the CCP’s Latest Tool For Spying, Stealing, and Subverting U.S. Export Control Restrictions
