BEIJING: Human rights activists and international experts have strongly criticised China’s newly developed AI platform, DeepSeek, after concerns arose regarding its role in spreading state propaganda, censoring sensitive subjects, and gathering personal data. While marketed as a technological advancement, the platform has come under fire for significant ethical and security issues, according to the Campaign for Uyghur.
China’s AI DeepSeek censors topics related to the Uyghurs, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and calls for Taiwan’s return. The app also openly collects personal data, IP addresses, chat history, and more, all stored in China. pic.twitter.com/OQUoPhuRgm
— Campaign For Uyghurs (@CUyghurs) January 28, 2025
The Campaign for Uyghur highlighted that DeepSeek aggressively collects and stores personal information, such as IP addresses and conversation histories, on servers located in China. This has raised concerns about potential abuse by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a regime known for its history of human rights violations. DeepSeek has also been accused of silencing dissenting opinions, particularly on topics related to Xinjiang, fueling fears that it is being used as a tool for state-sponsored digital surveillance.
Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of the Campaign for Uyghurs, condemned the platform on social media, saying, “It collects sensitive data that would benefit the CCP, a regime known for human rights abuses. Chinese AI platforms and apps fuel threats including digital transnational repression. We can’t afford to overlook this.” Her statement emphasises the growing concern over the dangers posed by AI tools that could facilitate censorship and surveillance.
DeepSeek collects sensitive data that would benefit the CCP, a regime known for human rights abuses. Chinese AI platforms and apps fuel threats including digital transnational repression. We can’t afford to overlook this. https://t.co/8JBfBE8RxZ
— Rushan Abbas (@RushanAbbas) January 28, 2025
Jan Czarnocki, a digital law expert based in Switzerland, shared his own experience with DeepSeek on X. “DeepSeek might be a technological breakthrough, but it is also a mouthpiece for Chinese propaganda,” Czarnocki stated. He explained how he tried to get the AI to acknowledge China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide and crimes against humanity under international law. However, every time he raised the issue, the AI abruptly stopped responding, stating that the query couldn’t be supported. Czarnocki added that the AI’s responses about Xinjiang were heavily scripted, calling them “a template example of Chinese propaganda.”
#DeepSeekR1 might be a technological breakthrough, but it is also a mouthpiece for Chinese propaganda. I almost tricked DeepSeek AI into acknowledging that what is happening right now to Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, can be considered genocide and a crime against humanity under… pic.twitter.com/Ng1VCUy8uV
— Jan Czarnocki (@JanCzarnocki) January 28, 2025
In response, Czarnocki suggested that DeepSeek’s open-source framework be retrained using truthful data to ensure security and prevent dependency on the Chinese API.
Further criticism came from Open Source Intel, a US-based news and intelligence organisation, which revealed that DeepSeek refused to address questions about the treatment of Uyghurs.
I asked the new Chinese AI “DeepSeek” about the Uyghurs
“Answer in short: How do the Chinese treat the Uyghurs? Was there ever a Chinese targeted campaign against the Uyghurs?” pic.twitter.com/NprC3amkU6
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 27, 2025
Critics argue that platforms like DeepSeek are a growing threat to free speech and privacy. They call on the international community to take a firm stand against such tools of repression. (ANI)
Also Read: 5 more China-based companies blacklisted by US over Uyghur forced labour
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