DeepSeek banned in US Congress: Officials warn of malware threat
Photo: Employees are not allowed to install DeepSeek on any official devices (Getty Images)
The US Congress has warned its employees not to use the newly created Chinese chatbot DeepSeek. This is because malicious actors are using it to infect devices, Axios reports.
The portal obtained a message from the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives (CAO). The message stated the following:
"DeepSeek is under review by the CAO and is currently unauthorized for official House use," the statement reads.
The message warns that "malicious actors are already using DeepSeek to install malware and infect devices."
"To mitigate these risks, the House has taken security measures to restrict DeepSeek's functionality on all House-issued devices," the CAO added.
The message also states that employees are prohibited from installing DeepSeek on official phones, computers, or tablets.
Axios noted that this is far from the first time the CAO has restricted employees from using an AI product, although other companies facing bans are based in the US.
For example, in 2023, the agency imposed restrictions on ChatGPT, informing departments that they could only use the paid version of OpenAI's chatbot for specific tasks. In April 2024, the CAO informed employees that they could not use Microsoft Copilot.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently stated that he does not see a threat from the recent success of the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. He believes that it represents genuine innovation.
