Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) barred state employees Tuesday from using artificial intelligence (AI) models developed by Chinese startup DeepSeek on state-issued devices and state-run networks.
“China’s DeepSeek AI poses a threat to the security and safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said in a statement. “We must continue to take steps to safeguard our operations and information from the Chinese Communist Party.”
In the executive order issued Tuesday, Youngkin prohibited employees from downloading or using the DeepSeek app on government-owned or leased devices, as well as government-owned, operated or maintained wireless networks.
Employees who have already downloaded the app were directed to remove it from their devices by Wednesday.
The executive order notes that DeepSeek “raises significant security and privacy concerns,” pointing to research that showed its webpage contains code that could potentially transmit user login information to China Mobile, a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company.
The Hill has reached out to DeepSeek for comment.
Youngkin’s order follows similar moves by other state officials amid DeepSeek’s rapid rise in popularity. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) barred employees from using Chinese-owned AI and social media, including DeepSeek and the TikTok alternative RedNote, earlier this month.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) also announced Monday that state government employees would be banned from downloading the app on state-managed devices and networks, citing concerns about DeepSeek’s “connection to foreign government surveillance and censorship.”
At the federal level, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) have proposed legislation to ban DeepSeek from government devices.
DeepSeek exploded onto the scene last month after it unveiled its new R1 model, which the Chinese startup claims can perform on par with OpenAI’s latest models and required just $5.6 million to develop.
This revelation sent investors into a panic, given the billions of dollars that American AI firms have committed to building out infrastructure to develop the technology.
While U.S. tech firms have largely brushed off these concerns and expressed confidence in their AI investments, DeepSeek has also raised national security and data privacy concerns given its ties to China.
Similar concerns were at the heart of push to force TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban. While the ban technically went into effect last month, President Trump ordered his attorney general not to enforce the law for 75 days as he attempts to strike a deal to keep the app available in the U.S.
