OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt banned the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek from all state government devices.
Stitt issued the ban after he directed Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) officials to review DeepSeek and recommend whether or not the app should be allowed on state-owned devices.
The ban applies to all state-owned devices, including laptops, desktops and mobile phones/tablets.
“We’re not going to take chances when it comes to protecting Oklahomans’ data,” Stitt said. “DeepSeek has too many security risks, and we’re not about to let foreign adversaries have access to our state’s information. This is about keeping Oklahoma safe and making smart decisions for our future.”
Stitt’s office cited the following concerns as the basis for Stitt’s decision to ban DeepSeek:
- 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.
DeepSeek was launched in late January and was marketed as a cheaper, more energy-efficient AI program. It has since reached more than 100 million downloads. However, concerns over alleged security flaws have been expressed across the globe.
The Center for Strategic & International Studies listed numerous security deficiencies within the DeepSeek app, including:
- An open-source structure that enables anyone to download and modify the application and alter not only its functionalities but also its safety mechanisms, which creates greater risk of exploitation.
- The lack of robust safeguards, making it vulnerable to attackers who can bypass what little safety infrastructure exists to force the model to generate harmful content.
Several U.S. federal agencies have restricted the use of DeepSeek within their respective agencies, including the Department of Commerce, NASA, the Pentagon, the Congress and the Navy.
South Korea, Italy, Australia, India and Taiwan have also either blocked or banned DeepSeek access.
