The State of Oklahoma is banning the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek.
The program will no longer be allowed on state-owned devices, including laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a news release Friday that DeepSeek has security risks, and he does not want foreign adversaries to have access to state information.
“We’re not going to take chances when it comes to protecting Oklahomans’ data,” Stitt said. "This is about keeping Oklahoma safe and making smart decisions for our future.”
The release said the decision to ban DeepSeek stems from several key concerns:
- Security Risks: DeepSeek collects extensive user data, including chat history, uploaded files, and IP address information, all of which is stored in China. This violates the state chief information officer’s data storage standard and presents a serious cybersecurity threat. DeepSeek has also been the target of significant cyberattacks, exposing sensitive information.
- Regulatory Compliance Issues: Many state agencies are required to follow strict data protection regulations, including FERPA, HIPAA, IRS Pub 1075, and others. DeepSeek’s lack of compliance features creates a risk of non-compliance, potentially exposing state data to bad actors within the Chinese Communist Party and violating Executive Order 2024-11.
- Susceptibility to Adversarial Manipulation: DeepSeek-R1 has demonstrated a high vulnerability to adversarial manipulation, making it possible for bad actors to bypass safety measures and generate harmful content.
- Lack of Robust Security Safeguards: DeepSeek does not have a layered security architecture, leaving it open to security breaches and ethical violations. Additionally, the app contains weak encryption, increasing the risk of data leaks.
