Experts urge caution over using DeepSeek AI chatbot because of China links
Experts urge caution over using DeepSeek AI chatbot because of China links
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Security experts are urging people to be cautious if considering using emerging AI chatbot DeepSeek because of the app’s links to China and the potential implications for personal data. The chatbot has upended the AI market with its emergence as a rival to the likes of ChatGPT and OpenAI, despite having been apparently developed for a fraction of the budget of its big US rivals.
However, some experts have raised concerns about using the app because DeepSeek is based in China, and there could be “risks” to data privacy as a result. A number of major Chinese firms and technologies have found themselves sanctioned in recent years – most notably Huawei and TikTok – because of fears of data being harvested by the Chinese government for intelligence purposes.
DeepSeek is a shared cloud service run in China with data being stored in China — potentially introducing unknown risks to data privacy, compliance mandates and security controls. The US has already announced it is examining potential national security risks around DeepSeek.
Bill Conner, chief executive of automation firm Jitterbit, and a former security adviser to UK and US governments, said DeepSeek “represents a clear risk to any enterprise whose leadership values data privacy, security and transparency”. “Proactive and privacy-minded enterprises should do strict due diligence with all large language models (LLMs) and AI services, not just DeepSeek,” he said.
