DeepSeek source code reportedly contains evidence that links the popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot with a Chinese telecommunication provider that was banned in the US. According to a report, a cybersecurity firm has uncovered code that could be used to send data entered on DeepSeek’s web client to China Mobile. The code reportedly relates to the account creation and login process on the Chinese AI chatbot platform. While it could not be confirmed that DeepSeek is indeed sending data, the researchers were also not able to rule out the possibility.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that DeepSeek contains code that could potentially send user login information to China Mobile. The publication claimed that it received a report about the code from the Canada-based cybersecurity firm Feroot Security. Multiple independent experts reportedly verified these claims.
Notably, China Mobile was banned from operating in the US in 2019 after the government raised national security concerns due to the link between the telecom operator and the Chinese government. Additionally, in 2021, the US government also put sanctions on Americans investing in the company after finding evidence of its links with the Chinese military.
The report did not reveal details about the alleged code that links DeepSeek’s chatbot with the telecom operator. However, it discovered the presence of code that enables the AI firm to send login information as well as queries directly to China Mobile’s servers.
The cybersecurity firm also highlighted that the exposed code shows a connection that could be far more nefarious than that of TikTok, which was briefly banned for a few hours in the US, before it was 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,” Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot told AP.
Notably, the researchers have not analysed the mobile app of DeepSeek, which could also contain similar code. The iOS app of DeepSeek recently topped the App Store’s “Top free apps” chart in the US overtaking OpenAI.
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