The source code of the DeepSeek AI chatbot reportedly contains indications of a connection to China Mobile, a telecommunications provider that has been banned in the United States. A cybersecurity firm has discovered code that may facilitate the transmission of user data entered into DeepSeek’s web platform to the Chinese company. This code appears to be tied to the processes for account creation and authentication on the chatbot service, though researchers have not definitively confirmed whether data is being sent to China Mobile.
DeepSeek Code Suggests Link to China Mobile
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the discovered code has the potential to transmit user login credentials to China Mobile. This information came from Feroot Security, a cybersecurity firm based in Canada, which claims to have corroborated its findings with several independent experts.
China Mobile was banned from providing services in the U.S. in 2019 following national security concerns about its ties to the Chinese government. In 2021, the U.S. government also imposed sanctions restricting American citizens from investing in the company due to its alleged connections with the Chinese military.
While the report did not provide specific details about the code linking DeepSeek to China Mobile, it revealed that the AI system could potentially transmit both login information and user queries directly to the telecom’s servers.
The cybersecurity firm suggested that the implications of this situation could be significantly more severe than those surrounding TikTok, which faced a temporary ban in the U.S. before being reinstated.
“The implications of this are significantly larger because personal and proprietary information could be exposed. It’s like TikTok but at a much grander scale and with more precision. It’s not just sharing entertainment videos. It’s sharing queries and information that could include highly personal and sensitive business information,” remarked Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot, in a statement to the AP.
Additionally, researchers have yet to investigate the mobile application of DeepSeek, which may harbor similar vulnerabilities. The iOS app has recently topped the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” category in the U.S., surpassing OpenAI’s offerings.
