Latest news with #TexasDataPrivacyandSecurityAct
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AG Paxton targets more Chinese software companies for violating Texans' personal data
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he is taking legal action against several software companies for allegedly violating Texans' data privacy rights. According to an announcement Tuesday, Paxton put several "Chinese or Chinese Communist Party aligned companies" on notice. Some of the companies included were video-editing software CapCut, which is used predominantly in conjunction with apps like TikTok or Instagram, smart home and network company TP-Link and e-commerce platform Alibaba. 'I have notified several Chinese-owned companies that they must stop violating Texas's privacy laws and protect Texans' data from falling into the hands of the CCP. Failure to do so will be met with the full force of my office,' Paxton said in the announcement. 'I will always protect our citizens' data privacy rights and use every tool I have to hold companies accountable for acting unlawfully.' The companies have 30 days to comply with heightened privacy protections through the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, including disclosing whether they process consumer data, allow consumers to opt out and enable consumers to delete their personal data. The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, which went into effect in July, creates transparency and disclosure obligations on the collection of consumer data. Tuesday's actions against CapCutm TP-Link, Alibaba and others is part of a larger investigation Paxton launched in February into Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek and other "CCP-aligned companies." Before he launched that investigation, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned the use of DeepSeek and several other AI and social media apps on government-issued devices due to security and data privacy concerns. Paxton also has filed two lawsuits against short-form video social media platform TikTok, one for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the other for violating Texas' Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment, or SCOPE, Act. Both lawsuits include concerns over TikTok's collection of consumers, specifically minors', personal data. Paxton has also used the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act in a lawsuit against insurance company Allstate and its subsidiary Arity for collecting and selling driving data. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Paxton takes legal action against CapCut, other Chinese tech companies
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paxton launches investigation into DeepSeek
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has opened an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek over its privacy practices and claims about its popular new AI model. Paxton said Friday that he sent requests for information to Apple and Google, seeking their analysis of DeepSeek's application and the documentation it was required to submit to appear on their respective app stores. 'DeepSeek appears to be no more than a proxy for the CCP to undermine American AI dominance and steal the data of our citizens,' Paxton said in a statement, referencing the Chinese Communist Party. 'That's why I'm announcing a thorough investigation and calling on Google and Apple to cooperate immediately by providing all relevant documents related to the DeepSeek app.' 'The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation, and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law,' he continued. Paxton also said he notified DeepSeek that its platform violates the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. Following the release of the startup's new AI model last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) banned state officials from using it and other Chinese technology on government devices. Virginia and New York have followed suit with similar bans. DeepSeek's ties to China have sparked data privacy and national security concerns not unlike those that surrounded TikTok. Chinese companies are required to share data with the Chinese government if requested, raising the prospect that Beijing could access or manipulate U.S. user data. Lawmakers expressed similar concerns about TikTok, leading wide bipartisan majorities to pass a law last year requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to divest or face a U.S. ban. The ban was set to go into effect in mid-January. However, President Trump put enforcement on hold for 75 days as he attempts to reach a deal to keep the popular video-sharing platform available in the U.S. DeepSeek's emergence last month also spooked investors, who sold off billions of dollars' worth of tech stocks, after the Chinese startup claimed it spent just $5.6 million to train its new R1 model that could perform on par with OpenAI's latest models. This threatened to upend the current consensus on AI development, as U.S. tech firms funnel billions of dollars into infrastructure, like chips and data centers, in order to build new models. However, U.S. tech leaders have largely dismissed the concerns, voicing confidence in their decision to continue investing massive amounts in AI infrastructure. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Paxton launches investigation into DeepSeek
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has opened an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek over its privacy practices and claims about its popular new AI model. Paxton said Friday that he sent requests for information to Apple and Google, seeking their analysis of DeepSeek's application and the documentation it was required to submit to appear on their respective app stores. 'DeepSeek appears to be no more than a proxy for the CCP to undermine American AI dominance and steal the data of our citizens,' Paxton said in a statement. 'That's why I'm announcing a thorough investigation and calling on Google and Apple to cooperate immediately by providing all relevant documents related to the DeepSeek app.' 'The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation, and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law,' he continued. Paxton also said he notified DeepSeek that its platform violates the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. Following the release of the startup's new AI model last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) banned state officials from using it and other Chinese technology on government devices. Virginia and New York have followed suit with similar bans. DeepSeek's ties to China have sparked data privacy and national security concerns not unlike those that surrounded TikTok. Chinese companies are required to share data with the Chinese government if requested, raising the prospect that Beijing could access or manipulate U.S. user data. Lawmakers expressed similar concerns about TikTok, leading wide bipartisan majorities to pass a law last year requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to divest or face a U.S. ban. The ban was set to go into effect in mid-January. However, President Trump put enforcement on hold for 75 days as he attempts to reach a deal to keep the popular video-sharing platform available in the U.S. DeepSeek's emergence last month also spooked investors, who sold off billions of dollars' worth of tech stocks, after the Chinese startup claimed it spent just $5.6 million to train its new R1 model that could perform on par with OpenAI's latest models. This threatened to upend the current consensus on AI development, as U.S. tech firms funnel billions of dollars into infrastructure, like chips and data centers, in order to build new models. However, U.S. tech leaders have largely dismissed the concerns, voicing confidence in their decision to continue investing massive amounts in AI infrastructure.
CBS News
15-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Texas AG Ken Paxton investigates Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over privacy and security concerns
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company that his office says is connected to the Chinese Communist Party. According to Paxton's office, the probe will scrutinize the company's data privacy practices and assertions that its AI model is on par with sophisticated models like OpenAI's Model o1. DeepSeek has been notified that its platform violates the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, the attorney general's office said in a news release. Paxton expressed concerns that DeepSeek is a proxy for the Chinese Communist Party to undermine American AI dominance and steal data. "The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation, and any CCP (Chinese Communist Party)-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law," Paxton said in the release. Paxton has called on Google and Apple to provide all relevant documents related to the DeepSeek app. In late January, Paxton directed that DeepSeek's platform be banned on all attorney general's office devices due to security concerns and the company's connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paxton launches investigation into Chinese AI company
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, regarding its privacy practices. The lawsuit claims DeepSeek violated the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. 'The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation,' Paxton said, 'and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law.' Where Abbott said Chinese AI, social media apps were now banned Paxton said he sent Civil Investigative Demands to Google and Apple 'requesting their analysis of the DeepSeek application, as well as the documentation DeepSeek was required to submit to them before they made DeepSeek's app available to consumers.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
