U.S. Senators Call for Inquiry Into China’s DeepSeek AI Over Data Security Concerns

A group of Republican senators, led by Ted Budd, has urged the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate China's DeepSeek AI, citing potential national security risks. The lawmakers allege that the company's open-source R1 model could compromise U.S. user data and inadvertently aid Chinese military and surveillance operations.

The August 1 letter, made public this week, highlights concerns over DeepSeek's access to sensitive information—including chat histories and cryptographic keys—through a publicly exposed database. Wiz Research confirmed the vulnerability, noting the archive granted full operational control to potential bad actors.

Unlike restricted U.S. AI systems, R1's open-source architecture allows third-party code modifications, raising additional red flags about content moderation. The model reportedly generates harmful outputs at higher frequencies than American counterparts, compounding security apprehensions.