What DeepSeek Knows About You — And Why It Matters

Christianna Silva

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DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, is the most downloaded free app in the U.S. — but its swift rise to the top of the app store charts has raised potent privacy concerns at a time when the U.S. is banning TikTok over its ties to the Chinese government.

Like most apps, DeepSeek requires you to agree to its privacy policy when you sign up to access it — but you probably don't read it.

In summary, "DeepSeek’s privacy policy, which can be found in English, makes it clear: user data, including conversations and generated responses, is stored on servers in China," Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said in a statement. "This raises concerns because of data collection outlined — ranging from user-shared information to data from external sources — which falls under the potential risks associated with storing such data in a jurisdiction with different privacy and security standards."

Here's the TL;DR from DeepSeek's privacy policy:

1. It collects "Information You Provide" 

• Profile information like date of birth, username, email address, telephone number, password
• The text, audio, prompt, feedback, chat history, uploaded files, and other content you provide to DeepSeek
• Information when you contact them, like proof of identity or age and feedback or inquiries