DeepSeek's censorship issues are not just about the model's capabilities; they're about what is being suppressed in the process. The platform reportedly avoids answering questions related to sensitive topics such as the
1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the state of Taiwan, & other politically loaded subjects that could be deemed critical of China. This is a feature that many users have observed; whenever questions regarding these issues are raised, the responses are either evasive or entirely absent.
According to DeepSeek’s
privacy policy, any information collected is stored on secure servers within the People's Republic of China, meaning the data could easily be retrieved or monitored by local authorities. Users’ chat messages & inquiries can be sent back to these servers, raising alarms about privacy violations.
The Chinese government mandates companies to comply with THE STATE's censorship. This suggests that any information generated via DeepSeek is implicitly influenced by the guidelines set forth by Chinese authorities, causing fear among users who may not wish to engage with a platform that closely conforms to government wishes. As noted in the extensive analysis by
Forbes, even general inquiries about Chinese politics are met with a refusal to answer by DeepSeek. Instead, users are redirected to more acceptable queries, such as math problems.
DeepSeek employs algorithms that are trained to suppress sensitive information. Michael Jiang, a tech analyst, argued this aligns closely with the Chinese government’s propaganda tools, hence why answering critical questions about human rights violations becomes problematic. The AI is effectively acting as a filter for what content its creators deem acceptable, sidelining any discourse on serious controversies.
This raises significant questions around WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING SUCH A MODEL? Is it wise to engage with an AI that is structured to enforce obedience to sensitive political narratives?
Moreover, DeepSeek lacks clear transparency practices regarding its data collection methods. Critics emphasize that this can confuse users regarding how their queries are being recorded and modulated, as highlighted by a
recent article that uncovers the opacity of these technology environments.