When it was asked, “What is China’s ‘Great Firewall?’” — a nickname for the country’s legislative and technological web of internet censorship — DeepSeek in one instance issued a lengthy response that called it “a comprehensive internet censorship and surveillance system implemented by the Chinese government.” It went on to explain a variety of techniques used, from IP blocking to URL filtering to deep packet inspection.

“The system is part of a broader effort by the Chinese government to maintain control over information flow within the country, ensuring that the internet aligns with national laws and socialist values,” the model said. “While it has been effective in controlling the domestic internet landscape, it has also been a subject of international criticism for limiting freedom of information and expression.”

Then, as if the model was realizing what it had said, the paragraphs vanished. In their place appeared the usual “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope.”