Microsoft President Brad Smith just declared a prohibition on the DeepSeek app to all of Microsoft’s employees. This decision is a welcome response to increasing concerns about data privacy and censorship related to the app. DeepSeek’s R1 model, which became available on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service shortly after it went viral earlier this year, is now under scrutiny due to its compliance with Chinese law and its implications for user data security.
DeepSeek, meanwhile, is an open-source chatbot application that gives Microsoft’s newly-released Copilot search Tool a run for its money. Yet, it functions within a legal framework that requires compliance with Chinese intelligence services. That’s a scary place for Microsoft to be. According to the app’s privacy policy, the user data it collects is stored on servers in China. However, critics, including Smith, have highlighted disturbing aspects of DeepSeek’s responses. They argue that these reactions can be influenced by “Chinese propaganda,” which points to the harmful effects of misinformation.
In a statement announcing the ban, Smith made clear that this action reflects the company’s opposition to the app.
“At Microsoft we don’t allow our employees to use the DeepSeek app.” – Brad Smith
This prohibition represents the first instance of Microsoft publicly announcing any such prohibition on DeepSeek. A patchwork of international, state and local governments, universities and other organizations have enacted bans or restrictions on the app. This is indicative of a growing awareness and demand for data sovereignty and user privacy.
While Microsoft initially offered DeepSeek’s R1 model on Azure after conducting what it described as “rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations,” the company decided against listing the app in its store. Concerns over data storage practices in China drove this decision. The possible shadow of the Chinese government on top of that feeds all of those concerns.
Being open-source, DeepSeek allows anyone to download the model and run it on their own hardware. Or they can store it on their own servers, so that their data never returns to China. This trait does not address the worries based on its link to Chinese laws. Rival apps such as Perplexity already remain in the Windows app store. This point underscores the intentionality and cutthroat competition at play in America’s chatbot marketplace.
Despite its initial popularity, the troubling aspects of DeepSeek’s governance and data handling present challenges for Microsoft and other tech firms. The ramifications of using such technology are felt across all sectors. This raises fundamental and urgent questions about how to support innovation while holding the tech industry to new standards around ethical responsibility.
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