BBG Tech: Treasurer Pack Bans Chinese AI DeepSeek, Bolsters West Virginia’s Cyber Defenses

By: Aiden Satterfield

West Virginia is taking a hard stand against foreign tech risks. On April 22, 2025, State Treasurer Larry Pack announced a ban on Chinese AI like DeepSeek, along with AliPay and Kaspersky, on all Treasury-issued devices. This move builds on earlier bans of TikTok and WeChat, doubling down on protecting sensitive data from foreign adversaries. With my focus on cybersecurity, this feels like a step toward keeping our state secure.

The policy targets apps tied to China, citing fears of data theft and national security threats. “Every day, agents of China are working to steal U.S. trade secrets to be weaponized against the United States,” Pack said, emphasizing the need to act fast. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot, has raised alarms for its potential to harvest data, especially after a House panel labeled it a security threat. 

I’m not mad at this decision. This decision makes sense to me, especially with growing U.S.-China tech tensions. AI models like DeepSeek can potentially collect sensitive input data. Since this is a Chinese-based large language model, they technically can steal any data that is input into it. The House called this a “profound threat” to national security. Better safe than sorry, but on the flip side, what do you think China’s perspective is on this? In my opinion, we may be fed a lot of potential propaganda that the Chinese are harvesting our data to get as much information as possible for a potential cyber attack! 

But, is that true? As a citizen, we’ll never truly know. 

Aiden Satterfield is a cybersecurity graduate and athlete from Walsh University, and a native West Virginian.
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