Recent findings suggest that the source code of the AI chatbot, DeepSeek, may be connected to a Chinese telecommunications company that has been prohibited from operating in the United States. A cybersecurity firm has reportedly identified code that might facilitate the transmission of user data entered on DeepSeek’s web client to China Mobile. This code appears to be associated with account creation and login procedures on the Chinese platform.
DeepSeek Code Links Chatbot to China Mobile
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the code within DeepSeek could potentially transmit user login data directly to China Mobile. This revelation emerged from a report provided by Feroot Security, a Canada-based cybersecurity firm, which has been corroborated by several independent experts.
It is important to note that China Mobile faced a ban from US operations in 2019 due to national security concerns linked to its ties with the Chinese government. Furthermore, in 2021, the US government imposed sanctions on American investment in the company after uncovering connections to the Chinese military.
While the report did not disclose specifics regarding the suspected code linking DeepSeek to the telecommunications operator, it did reveal that the exposed code allows the AI company to relay login details and queries directly to servers operated by China Mobile.
The cybersecurity firm emphasized that the implications of this discovery could be significantly more serious than those associated with TikTok, which faced a temporary ban in the US 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,” stated Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot, in an interview with AP.
Researchers have yet to analyze DeepSeek’s mobile application, which may also contain similar code. Notably, the iOS version of DeepSeek recently ascended to the top of the App Store’s “Top free apps” list in the US, surpassing OpenAI’s offerings.
