U.S. FEDBreaches and incidents
National Archives removes Alibaba Qwen AI search option from Federal Register site
The National Archives removed an Alibaba Qwen AI search option from the Federal Register website on September 17, 2026, Ars Technica reported on September 18, citing Reuters. The tool let visitors search public comments on proposed rules; a screenshot showed it live on September 15 and archived source code confirmed the takedown. Sina.com described the model as a small Qwen3 0.6B-level model that does not send data to Alibaba. NARA, the White House and the FBI did not comment.
Key points
- Federal Register search offered a Qwen-based option for searching public comments on proposed rules; officials removed it on Wednesday September 17, 2026, Reuters reported.Ars Technica
- Archived site source code and screenshots indicated the Qwen options were visible at least from September 15 until the takedown.Ars Technica
- Sina.com reported the model was a small open-weight Qwen3 0.6B-level model that retrieves documents and sends no data to Alibaba or third parties.Ars Technica
- Removal followed social-media attention after the FBI named Alibaba among six Chinese firms it accused of industrial-scale distillation of US models.Ars Technica
- NARA, the White House, and the FBI had not publicly explained the removal when Ars published.Ars Technica
- House China Committee chair Rep. John Moolenaar said no federal entity should use a Chinese AI model.Ars Technica
Sources1 article across 1 outlet
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