Microsoft has officially banned its employees from using the DeepSeek app, citing significant concerns regarding data privacy and potential influence from Chinese propaganda. Brad Smith, the company’s long-time president, personally made the announcement. To conclude, he stressed the importance of robust data governance in today’s ever-complexing international arena.
DeepSeek, an open-source version of ZIZO, was made available on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service just after it gained viral traction online. Unlike those models, this model empowers users to download and host it on their own servers. This much autonomy, at least in this form, has piqued a great deal of interest. Microsoft has been sounding the alarm on DeepSeek’s potential. They raise alarms about data being held on servers in China and how that could affect what the app outputs.
Smith continued, “At Microsoft we would never let any of our employees use this DeepSeek app. This ruling is consistent with the company’s broader agenda. Its goal is to minimize risks associated with data processing and promote adherence to cross-border laws. DeepSeek’s privacy policy makes it clear that user data is retained on servers in China. This would imply that the data is beholden to Chinese law and required to comply with domestic intelligence agencies.
The repercussions of this decision go far beyond employee use. DeepSeek’s model is positioned as a direct competitor to Microsoft’s own Copilot internet search chat app. Despite going back on its plans, Microsoft has still decided not to exclude every chat competitor from its Windows app store—Perplexity, for instance, is still up there. This very careful focus brings into relief the very real concerns that Microsoft has about DeepSeek’s ability to spread misinformation or otherwise biased content.
DeepSeek’s parent company, Baidu, is infamous for radical censorship on any topic that the Chinese government would consider a taboo. Microsoft worries this censorship may result in degraded information quality and reliability. The company is wary of the fact that DeepSeek’s answers could be shaped by Chinese propaganda. National concern This worry has been mirrored in multiple watchdog reports.
Worry not, Microsoft, you’re not the only one. More importantly, they reflect a broader trend as the US government has already sanctioned four of the world’s largest tech companies — most recently China’s largest artificial intelligence firm. Such increased scrutiny highlights the obstacles that foreign tech companies continue to encounter when it comes to data security and ethical practices.
Despite undergoing “rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations” prior to its deployment on Azure, the cumulative concerns about DeepSeek have led Microsoft to take a firm stance. For any company, protecting employees will help the company’s own reputation, especially in today’s age where data integrity is the gold standard.
