The United States has proposed a new bill that criminalizes the downloading of DeepSeek by Americans

ChainCatcher news, according to Gelonghui, the U.S. Congress recently proposed the "2025 U.S. Artificial Intelligence Capability and Decoupling from China Act." This bill prohibits Americans from assisting China in advancing AI and forbids Americans from downloading or using DeepSeek, otherwise they will be classified as criminals, facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

The bill states that if U.S. individuals or companies collaborate with Chinese universities, colleges, or laboratories on AI-related matters, they may be violating the law. Violating companies could face fines of up to $100 million. Additionally, non-U.S. citizens involved in technology transfer may face deportation.

The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Josh Hawley, who previously served as the Attorney General of Missouri and was involved in investigations into large tech companies for alleged election interference, including investigations into Google and Facebook.

The U.S. has already prohibited government personnel and others from using the DeepSeek application, including major executive agencies such as the Department of Defense and Congress.