DeepSeek chatbot linked to banned China Mobile network
Security researchers discovered code in the DeepSeek chatbot linking it to China Mobile, a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company banned from operating in the United States. While no actual data transfer was observed during testing in North America, researchers could not rule out that some users' login data might be routed to the Chinese state entity.
What happened
Security researchers at Feroot Security discovered code in the DeepSeek chatbot's login page that creates connections to China Mobile infrastructure, a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company banned from operating in the United States. The code is described as heavily obfuscated and appears to be part of the account creation and login process.
Independent experts confirmed the presence of the China Mobile code. While researchers did not observe data being transferred to China Mobile during login testing in North America, they could not exclude that some users' data might be transferred. DeepSeek's privacy policy acknowledges storing data on servers within China.
Reported impact
Users of DeepSeek's web chatbot, which became the most-downloaded application in the United States, may have login information and user data routed through or accessible to a Chinese telecommunications company with alleged close ties to the Chinese military.
Index analysis
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission denied China Mobile authority to operate in the United States in 2019, citing substantial national security concerns about the company's links to the Chinese state. The discovery suggests DeepSeek's chatbot may be more directly connected to the Chinese state than previously known, beyond the acknowledged data storage in China.
Governance controls
DeepSeek and China Mobile did not respond to contact attempts. The analysis applies only to DeepSeek's web version; the mobile version, which remains one of the most-downloaded applications on Apple and Google stores, was not analyzed.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.