DeepSeek use is now fully banned on university devices, according to the University of Idaho Office of Information Technology. OIT issued a university-wide memo on Aug. 7, announcing that access to the website and app is now blocked on university computers and networks.

The university cited updated guidelines by the Department of Energy. By complying with DOE guidelines, UI will maintain eligibility for federal research funding, OIT said.

“The university does sponsored research with the Department of Energy and many other federal agencies. As the memo says, DOE has instituted strict rules about these use, and the use by partners like us, of DeepSeek,” Dan Ewart, UI Chief Information Officer, said to The Argonaut. “In order for the university to be eligible for funds, we must adhere to the rules.”

DeepSeek, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot, was developed by a Chinese company of the same name and released Jan. 10, 2025.

Previously, OIT instructed university members that “DeepSeek use should be limited, outside of specific research contexts approved by the OIT Security Office,” but access was not blocked at the time.

OIT’s main concern about DeepSeek is the security of university data and infrastructure.

“Any UI information put into the online Deepseek model becomes part of that model, and control of the data is lost and the data could be misused. Given that the university does not have a formal relationship with Deepseek, and that we have no idea where that data goes or how it is used, the risk is significant,” Ewart said.

Ewart said that, before the ban, a number of UI employees had used DeepSeek models in different ways.

Multiple legislators across the country have sought bans for DeepSeek and similar technologies in 2025, citing data privacy and encryption concerns.

On Feb. 6, Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., introduced the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” which would ban federal employees from using the app on government devices. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced the “No Adversarial AI Act” on June 25, calling to develop a list of “any artificial intelligence that is produced or developed by a foreign adversary.” On Aug. 1, seven U.S. senators sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, urging him to investigate DeepSeek’s security risks.

“There are also over a dozen states that have implemented bans on DeepSeek for state-owned equipment,” Ewart said. “While Idaho is not yet one of those, Idaho does have a requirement that vendors be able to certify that they are not owned or operated by the Chinese government, and at this point we do not have that certification.”

Requests for exceptions to the ban will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by UI’s Information Security Office, Ewart said.

TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was banned on university devices Dec. 21, 2022, following an executive order from Governor Brad Little on Dec. 14. Later, the Idaho Legislature prohibited the app’s use on state government devices starting March 24, 2023. The law prevents any member or employee of any state-funded university or other agency from using the app or website on state-controlled devices and networks.

Dakota Steffen can be reached at [email protected].