Youngkin Issues Executive Order Banning DeepSeek from Government Devices

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch

(The Center Square) – Virginia is the second state in as many days to ban the artificial intelligence app DeepSeek on state devices and state-run networks.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 46, citing security threats against Virginians.

“China’s DeepSeek AI poses a threat to the security and safety of the citizens of the commonwealth of Virginia,” said Youngkin. “We must continue to take steps to safeguard our operations and information from the Chinese Communist Party. This executive order is an important part of that undertaking.”

The order directs that no commonwealth employees shall download or use the DeepSeek app on any government-issued devices, which includes cellphones and laptops. In addition, it prohibits downloading or accessing the app on commonwealth networks.

Youngkin’s order states that the order is integral to safeguarding information technology that may contain vital data, including personally identifiable information, tax data, health records and intellectual property.

The governor’s latest action follows a December 2022 executive order that banned any applications developed by ByteDance Limited or Tencent Holdings Limited or any visit to the TikTok or the WeChat website on any government-issued devices.

DeepSeek, created by a research lab owned by a Chinese hedge fund, has raised concerns about ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Youngkin cited an analysis from security experts that say DeepSeek “lacks robust security measures making it susceptible to ‘jailbreaking’ attacks,’” which means users “can get around” security measures and “ethical guardrails in place on the chatbot.”

In tests, Cisco Systems said the model failed to block harmful prompts, which resulted in a 100% attack rate, making it vulnerable to exploitation, which can “generate malicious content.”

Youngkin’s executive action follows an order by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul banning the app Monday, citing connections to the Chinese government’s surveillance and censorship programs that could be used to harvest sensitive data.