Microsoft Bans DeepSeek App for Employees Over Data Security Concerns
During a Senate hearing today, Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith revealed that Microsoft employees are not permitted to use the DeepSeek app due to data security and propaganda concerns. Smith emphasized that Microsoft has taken a firm stance against the use of DeepSeek within the company, including not making the app available in Microsoft’s app store.
One of the main reasons cited for the ban is the risk associated with data being stored in China. DeepSeek’s privacy policy states that user data is stored on Chinese servers, which are subject to Chinese laws requiring cooperation with the country’s intelligence agencies. Additionally, DeepSeek is known to heavily censor topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, raising further concerns about potential propaganda influence on the app’s answers.
Despite the ban on DeepSeek for Microsoft employees, the company did offer DeepSeek’s R1 model on its Azure cloud service after the app gained popularity earlier this year. However, offering the model on Azure is different from endorsing the app itself, as DeepSeek is an open-source platform that allows users to download the model and host it on their own servers without sending data back to China.
Smith mentioned during the Senate hearing that Microsoft took steps to “change” DeepSeek’s AI model to address any potential harmful side effects. While Microsoft did not provide specific details about the modifications made to the model, it emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and integrity of AI technologies like DeepSeek.
It’s worth noting that DeepSeek’s app competes directly with Microsoft’s own Copilot internet search chat app. Despite this competition, Microsoft does not ban all chat competitors from its Windows app store. For example, Perplexity is available in the store, while apps from rival companies like Google, including the Chrome browser and Google’s chatbot Gemini, are not easily accessible through the Windows store.
