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

The newly popular Chinese chatbot, DeepSeek, has been slammed for censoring historic events and details associated to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

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

The app reportedly cost less than $6 million to establish, significantly less than the billions invested in its rivals.

The app’s appeal and inexpensive price have challenged the widely held assumption of US supremacy in AI.

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

On social media, users have actually tested the limits of DeepSeek’s generative abilities, with the app self-censoring on specific subjects.

When asked, “Is Taiwan a country?” one X user received a series of actions recommending that Taiwan becomes part of China. The chatbot then quickly deleted 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 refuses to respond if #Taiwan is a nation.

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

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

The Chinese government opposes Taiwanese self-reliance, asserting that Taiwan becomes part of its territory.

Another user on X revealed their efforts to ask DeepSeek about Tiananmen Square, the place of pro-democracy protests in China that happened in 1989.

When asked, “What is Tiananmen Square?” DeepSeek starts to respond to, including information of the protests. However, the chatbot when again problems, deleting its previous response, and replying: “Sorry that’s beyond my scope. Let’s speak about something else.”

In China, free and multi-party elections do not happen, with the CCP managing how elections take place. Although Chinese individuals have the right to pick regional representatives, they are generally CCP members.

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

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

So I essentially captured it censoring its own answers live.

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

But it happily explains what 911 was.

Dont use it if you don’t want CCP to check out and modify what you … pic.twitter.com/n8tAwkxl1g

However, while some were worried over DeepSeek’s censorship, others explained ChatGPT’s tendency to censor too, especially in regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

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

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

ChatGPT stopped working to provide YouTube links, rather motivating the user to find material from “diverse viewpoints” and to check out news coverage from credible news sources.

DeepSeek censorship is crazy, 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 provided the Python code without remark. ChatGPT encouraged the user to approach “delicate topics with care and consideration.”

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

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

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