The app also disables Apple's App Transport Security protocol, that would enforce encryption of data.
"[DeepSeek is] not equipped or willing to provide basic security protections of your data and identity," said Andrew Hoog, co-founder of security firm NowSecure told Ars Techica in a statement.
Chart-topping AI iPhone app DeepSeek has been found to be sending data to Chinese-owned services, as well as collecting extensive user data that is held and sent unencrypted.
Chicago-based NowSecure mobile security firm says that DeepSeek's iOS app has multiple security and privacy issues.
DeepSeek is a generative AI app, similar to ChatGPT, which launched in January 2025 and practically immediately went to the top of the US App Store charts.
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