Pentagon Employees Used DeepSeek’s Chatbot for Two Days Before Service Suspension; Early Version Available for Download Since Fall 2024

The remarkable surge in popularity of DeepSeek has raised significant concerns among key governments globally, particularly within the U. S.Pentagon. Recent reports reveal that personnel at the Defense Department engaged with DeepSeek’s chatbot for approximately two consecutive days before authorities intervened and restricted access to the service on the department’s servers.

Security Risks Associated with DeepSeek’s Data Storage

A major point of apprehension stems from DeepSeek’s admitted data storage practices, which involve keeping user information on servers located in China. This scenario has heightened the risks when Pentagon employees began utilizing the chatbot. According to a defense official with insights into the situation, the Defense Information Systems Agency—tasked with overseeing the military’s IT networks—took immediate action on a Tuesday to prohibit access to DeepSeek’s website after it was revealed that employees had been using the service without authorization.

The rapid response was necessitated by the realization that personnel had been interacting with DeepSeek for two days prior to the discovery of these activities. Speculation about whether any disciplinary measures will be taken against these employees is rife, especially given DeepSeek’s explicit privacy policy detailing that user data is stored on servers in China.

This privacy-related issue has caught the attention of international regulatory bodies as well. The Italian privacy authority, Garante, has raised concerns with DeepSeek and its parent firms regarding compliance with GDPR protocols, subsequently granting the company a 20-day window to address these inquiries. Following this development, the DeepSeek app was pulled from Apple and Google’s app stores in Italy, though it remains unclear if or when it will be reinstated. When Pentagon staff attempted to access DeepSeek on Wednesday, they encountered a notification stating ‘Website Blocked.’

The Department of Defense’s IT specialists continue to collect data on the extent of DeepSeek’s engagement across their networks. As reported by Business Standard, it appears that U. S.military personnel had unintentionally downloaded an earlier version of DeepSeek’s software onto their systems in the fall of 2024, at a time when the implications of DeepSeek’s connections to China were not fully understood. Military officials are now urgently working to locate and eliminate any remnants of code from Chinese-based chatbots operating within their infrastructure.

Despite these attempts to restrict access, many service members continue to find ways to use DeepSeek via Ask Sage, an approved software platform that does not interface with Chinese servers. Given the accelerated growth trajectory of DeepSeek, it seems plausible that the U. S.government could impose a ban in the future, potentially pressuring domestic tech giants to develop more robust AI solutions while maintaining cost efficiency.

Read more about this situation from Bloomberg.

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