DeepSeek’s Popular AI App Is Explicitly Sending US Data to China
1 min read
Summary
DeepSeek, the Chinese developer of an AI chatbot, has seen its offering explode in popularity, posing a potential threat to US dominance in that sector.
It comes in the wake of the regulatory action by the US against TikTok, leading to mass migration to another Chinese app, RedCore.
DeepSeek does not yet have a communications department, so was unable to respond to a request for comment on its data protection policies.
However, privacy advocates have pointed out that the platform collects a large amount of information that is sent to China, and censors critical comments about China or its policies.
The company stores all user input, including text and audio prompts and feedback, as well as automatically collected data, such as IP addresses and device information.
It also reserves the right to collect information from other sources, including via Google and Apple sign-on, and from advertisers.
DeepSeek says it will use data in standard ways, as well as to develop its models, and to comply with legal obligations.
The company’s broad rights to collect and use data highlight the risks associated with using these kinds of services, say privacy experts.