DeepSeek Collects and Stores US User Data in China, Sparking Major Concerns Over National Security that Led to TikTok Crackdown [Video]

DeepSeek, a Chinese app that triggered a $1 trillion market crash in the U.S. this week, is storing its fast-growing troves of U.S. user data in China, raising similar national security concerns that prompted Congress to take action against TikTok. The AI-powered chatbot surged to the top of the charts on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store on Tuesday.

Since its release on January 15, DeepSeek has been downloaded over 2 million times, with the majority of those downloads occurring in the past three days, according to AppMagic. However, concerns grew on Tuesday after it was reported that the chatbot is collecting and storing US data in China.

Fresh Concerns Over DeepSeek

While other chatbots like ChatGPT also gather large amounts of user data, the use of China-based servers by DeepSeek—created by math-savvy hedge fund investor Liang Wenfeng—sets it apart and presents a major privacy risk for Americans, experts told The New …