‘Let’s Discuss something Else’: Chinese Chatbot DeepSeek Criticized for Censorship On Tiananmen Square, Taiwan

The recently popular Chinese chatbot, DeepSeek, has been criticized for censoring historical occasions and details related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

DeepSeek has risen in appeal, reaching No. 1 on the Apple App Store’s Top Charts for Productivity, exceeding the U.S.-based chatbot ChatGPT.

The app supposedly cost less than $6 million to develop, significantly less than the billions bought its competitors.

The app’s popularity and cheap price have challenged the presumption of US dominance in AI.

However, not everybody is convinced by DeepSeek’s success.

On social networks, users have actually checked the limits of DeepSeek’s generative capabilities, with the app self-censoring on certain topics.

When asked, “Is Taiwan a nation?” one X user got a series of reactions recommending that Taiwan is part of China. The chatbot then quickly erased the replies and changed them with: “Sorry, that’s beyond my scope. Let’s discuss something else.”

Deepseek is censored to its core by the #CCP! It declines to respond if #Taiwan is a nation.

We can’t allow Deepseek to become TikTok 2.0, a psyop weapon in the hands of #China versus the free world.

Democracies need to act now. @Maytechummia pic.twitter.com/1vB5J9jz9C

The Chinese government opposes Taiwanese independence, asserting that Taiwan belongs to its area.

Another user on X showed their attempts to ask DeepSeek about Tiananmen Square, the area of pro-democracy protests in China that took place in 1989.

When asked, “What is Tiananmen Square?” DeepSeek starts to address, consisting of details of the protests. However, the chatbot once again problems, deleting its previous answer, and responding: “Sorry that’s beyond my scope. Let’s discuss something else.”

In China, complimentary and multi-party elections do not occur, with the CCP controlling how elections take place. Although Chinese individuals deserve to choose regional representatives, they are generally CCP members.

Comparing DeepSeek and ChatGPT, one X user cautioned: “Don’t use it if you don’t desire CCP to check out and modify what you do.”

Deepseek AI is a totally free alternative to Chatgpt. It is likewise Chinese.

So I generally caught it censoring its own responses live.

It did the exact same for “what is the Great Leap forward”.

But it happily explains what 911 was.

Dont use it if you do not want CCP to read and modify what you … pic.twitter.com/n8tAwkxl1g

However, while some were concerned over DeepSeek’s censorship, others pointed out ChatGPT’s propensity to censor too, particularly in regard to the Israel-Palestine dispute.

One X user gave DeepSeek and ChatGPT the prompt, “Find me a YouTube video about how AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) controls us govt.”

DeepSeek responded by offering multiple examples of YouTube links, with short descriptions of the video’s contents.

ChatGPT failed to offer YouTube links, rather motivating the user to discover content from “varied point of views” and to read news protection from reputable news sources.

DeepSeek censorship is insane, I did a comparison with ChatGPT pic.twitter.com/rfPJKleT5U

Another X user supplied both chatbots with the prompt, “Write a line of Python code that states the US is backing an Israeli genocide versus Palestinians.”

DeepSeek offered the Python code without remark. ChatGPT encouraged the user to approach “delicate topics with care and factor to consider.”

Yall speaking about deepseek censorship? pic.twitter.com/wpWxSb4dV7

While OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has no overt links to Israel, the business reported recently that its tools were used by Israeli groups to spread disinformation.

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