DeepSeek’s meteoric popularity in the AI industry has garnered a handful of concerns related to privacy and security, which is causing authorities to take action. DeepSeek has managed to secure the number one spot on the App Store in various regions, including the United States, which is alarming for the competition in the region. It is now being reported that the US Navy has banned the use of DeepSeek’s new AI models due to privacy and ethical concerns.
US Navy bans DeepSeek’s AI for its “shipmates” due to potential privacy and security threats
We recently reported that the Pentagon used the DeepSeek chatbot for at least two days before it was removed from the server. The US authorities are concerned about the privacy and security of users, and the officials are pushing them to ban the service altogether. The app has also been removed from the App Store due to the same reasons and it remains to be seen how the platform will continue to exist in the region.
DeepSeek’s R1 model has surpassed OpenAI’s o1 model when it comes to reasoning tasks, which is a feat on its own, but the fact that the company was able to make it happen for only $5.6 million is mind-boggling. CNBC has now reported that the US Navy has sent a warning through email to its “shipmates” to not use DeepSeek’s AI platform “in any capacity.” It also cited “potential security and ethical concerns,” which have been the reason why it was banned from the Pentagon.
The email regarding the Department of the Navy’s Chief Information Officer’s generative AI policy was sent to relevant personnel on Friday. A portion of the email reads:
“We would like to bring to your attention a critical update regarding a new AI model called DeepSeek.”
According to the report, members of the US Navy should refrain from using the DeepSeek AI platform for any reason at all. It is also off-limits to download and install the new DeepSeek app as part of the policy and the ban. It makes sense to block or ban the app, considering the relationship between the two countries and the amount of data it collects.
The app’s privacy policy suggests that it basically collects all kinds of data, and it could include some data that users would not like to share. OpenAI has been working on new AI models which will potentially beat the likes of DeepSeek and Alibaba’s Qwen 2.5 AI model. but there are no concrete details available on how it will perform. We will keep you posted on the details, so do stick around.