Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on China have presented a report identifying the Chinese AI platform, DeepSeek, 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,” claims that DeepSeek gathers American user data for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), modifies information to fit CCP narratives, and uses material unlawfully acquired from U.S. AI models. It also notes that DeepSeek operates using Nvidia chips, some of which are subject to U.S. export controls.
"This report makes it clear: DeepSeek isn’t just another AI app — it’s a weapon in the Chinese Communist Party’s arsenal, designed to spy on Americans, steal our technology, and subvert U.S. law," said Moolenaar. "We now know this tool exploited U.S. AI models and reportedly used advanced Nvidia chips that should never have ended up in CCP hands. That’s why we’re sending a letter to Nvidia to demand answers. American innovation should never be the engine of our adversaries’ ambitions."
The report identifies several key issues:
- DeepSeek manipulates over 85% of its responses to suppress content on democracy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and human rights.
- It is owned by a CCP-linked company ideologically aligned with Xi Jinping Thought.
- The platform channels U.S. user data to China through insecure networks.
- DeepSeek is connected to Chinese state-affiliated firms known for censorship and data harvesting.
- It reportedly developed with more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, potentially violating U.S. export controls.
- Nvidia reportedly designed a modified chip to exploit loopholes in U.S. export restrictions, under the guidance of CEO Jensen Huang.
In reaction to these findings, the Select Committee has written to Nvidia asking for clarification on its sales to China and Southeast Asia. This inquiry aims to understand how Nvidia's chips ended up powering DeepSeek’s AI models despite export restrictions.
The Committee remains committed to investigating the exploitation of American innovation by the CCP and ensuring U.S. companies do not enable CCP efforts to compromise national security.
For further details, the full report is available under the title: DeepSeek Unmasked: Exposing the CCP’s Latest Tool For Spying, Stealing, and Subverting U.S. Export Control Restrictions.
