China’s DeepSeek AI faces global outrage over Uyghur censorship and propaganda

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.