A new bill introduced in the US Congress could ban DeepSeek from government devices.
A bipartisan group of senators, including Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen, Ohio Republican Jon Husted and Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, has introduced a bill that seeks to address security concerns about the China-based generative artificial intelligence chatbot. The legislation comes weeks after a similar bipartisan bill was introduced in the House of Representatives.
“The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation and collect data on Americans,” Democratic representative Josh Gottheimer said this month.
“Now, we have deeply disturbing evidence that they are using DeepSeek to steal the sensitive data of US citizens. This is a five-alarm national security fire.”
Most recently, Australian politicians made the decision to ban DeepSeek on government computers and mobile devices over concerns from technology security experts about potential user-data vulnerability related to the Chinese government.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also demanded that state government workers and agencies do not download or install DeepSeek, while the state of New York announced a ban on the chatbot on government devices as well.
Some have argued that, like TikTok, which is also based in China, DeepSeek's data is subject to Beijing's rules and regulations and presents a national security concern.
TikTok has been banned from US government devices at the municipal, state and federal level. A law that sought to ban the platform across the country was upheld by the Supreme Court last month but the grace period was extended by President Donald Trump.
Some observers say DeepSeek is heading down the same regulatory path as TikTok, as other worries about the AI app mount.
Personal data aspects aside, there is growing concern that DeepSeek may have stolen from US technology companies, with Microsoft and OpenAI currently investigating the possibility that the China-based company obtained data illegally for use on its AI platform.
“We know that groups in the PRC are actively working to use methods, including what’s known as distillation, to try to replicate advanced US AI models,” an OpenAI representative told The National.
“We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models and will share information as we know more. We take aggressive, proactive countermeasures to protect our technology and will continue working closely with the US government to protect the most capable models being built here.”
The bills seeking to ban DeepSeek on US government devices have not yet made it out of their respective legislative committees, so it remains to be seen if they will receive a vote.
Meanwhile, DeepSeek is still near the top of many mobile app-store download charts amid claims that it equals rival chatbots such as ChatGPT while using significantly less computing power at a fraction of the cost.
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Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
