Experts reveal chilling link between DeepSeek AI bot and the Chinese government allowing them to ‘see user data’

AI chatbot DeepSeek could be sending user login information straight to the Chinese government, cybersecurity researchers have claimed.

The new chatbot is the top downloaded app in Apple’s App Store in the UK, US and China after its launch in January.

The service is similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a chatbot that answers pretty much any question you throw at it.

But DeepSeek, which has garnered blistering popularity in recent weeks, has rattled security experts and free-speech advocates.

Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot Security, told that Deepseek has computer code that could send some user login information to a state-owned telecoms company.

“When users are logging into DeepSeek’s website, that website has pieces of software and technology embedded into it that has the ability to send information directly to China Mobiles’ service cmpassport.com,” said Tsarynny.

“This is something we’ve never seen before – where technology is built right into the service that has the ability to send information to China Mobile.”

China Mobile is a state-owned telecommunications company that is banned from doing business in the US.

The US had previously put sanctions on the firm, claiming it has close ties to the Chinese military.

In its privacy policy, DeepSeek has acknowledged storing data on servers inside the People’s Republic of China.

DeepSeek creates a ‘digital fingerprint’ of each user, according to Tsarynny.

This so-called ‘digital fingerprint’ can allegedly be used to track users’ activity across any other website where China Mobile, or the Chinese government, are able to collect information.

What that really means, Tsarynny claimed, is that the Chinese government could “potentially survey Americans on any other websites once they have visited DeepSeek”.

He added: “They are able to track what we do, what we read, what we talk about.

“This is very alarming, and something we’ve never really seen before.”

Although it’s not just Americans who are affected, but anyone who has created a DeepSeek login to use the service.

DeepSeek has over 10 million downloads as of January 2025, according to data company .

Following independent analysis, fellow cybersecurity expert Joel Reardon, of the University of Calgary, told he didn’t see login data being transferred from DeepSeek to China Mobile.

However, he concluded that it is likely being activated for some users or some login methods.

“It’s clear that China Mobile is somehow involved in registering for DeepSeek,” said Reardon.

The Sun has contacted DeepSeek and China Mobile for comment.