At a Glance
- Texas AG Ken Paxton leads probe into Chinese AI firm DeepSeek
- Apple and Google asked to produce documents on app approval
- DeepSeek suspected of being a CCP proxy for data theft
- 39 states have banned TikTok on government devices
- Supreme Court upholds bipartisan legislation to ban or force divestment of foreign apps
Probing Foreign Influence
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is spearheading a major investigation into DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company accused of violating Texas’s data privacy laws. The company is suspected of acting as a proxy for the Chinese Communist Party, raising national security concerns about the potential misuse of American user data and foreign surveillance.
“This app’s blatant allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party is extremely concerning,” Paxton said. He added that DeepSeek “appears to be no more than a proxy for the CCP to undermine American AI dominance and steal the data of our citizens.” In response, Paxton demanded that Apple and Google produce internal records explaining why the DeepSeek app was allowed on their platforms.
Watch Dallas News’ coverage of the probe at Paxton presses Apple, Google for documents.
Broader Legislative Impacts
This investigation fits into a larger framework of U.S. policy toward foreign tech companies. Under a bipartisan data security initiative introduced during the Biden administration and now upheld by the Supreme Court, foreign-owned apps can be banned or required to divest U.S. operations. DeepSeek’s emergence echoes similar concerns that led to TikTok being banned from government devices in 39 U.S. states.
Republican AGs from states like Tennessee have also joined the push, subpoenaing Google and Apple in an effort to scrutinize platform accountability in approving apps linked to adversarial regimes. These officials argue that foreign-owned platforms could spread propaganda, harvest sensitive information, and manipulate digital behavior.
State-Level Bans and National Pushback
States are moving quickly. New York and Virginia have both banned DeepSeek outright, a move that reflects growing awareness of the risk posed by overseas platforms embedded in U.S. mobile ecosystems. Critics warn that foreign companies are not just harvesting data—they’re reshaping influence operations through seemingly innocuous AI chat interfaces.
“The release of DeepSeek AI should be a wake-up call for our industries,” said former President Donald Trump. “We need to be laser-focused on competing to win because we have the greatest scientists in the world.”
Silicon Valley at a Crossroads
Tech giants now face heightened scrutiny. If Apple and Google are found to have ignored red flags about DeepSeek’s ties to Beijing, the fallout could include congressional hearings, additional regulation, and reputational damage. “We need transparency and accountability,” said one legal advisor close to the probe.
This moment could define how the U.S. responds to the AI arms race—not just with innovation, but with firewalls. The outcome may chart a new path for U.S. tech policy at the intersection of national security, consumer privacy, and global competition.
