Is Deepseek an espionage tool?

Is Deepseek an espionage tool? | Daily Tribune

This is the other side of the coin. In my last column, I praised to the high heavens the benefits of DeepSeek as “a radical game changer.”

Now, US cyber security experts claim that Deepseek is dangerous as a possible tool for espionage. And there are moves to ban it in the United States. This kills outright the notion of DeepSeek as a “game changer.”

“Lawmakers want to ban the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from government devices because they fear it could collect user data that could jeopardize national security.” One report found that DeepSeek has links to a Chinese state-backed telecommunications firm, which is banned from operating in the US.

The bill, the first on a federal level, written by Representatives Darrin LaHood (R-Ill) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), would ban the downloading of the app on any government electronic device. The bill, however, does not include a ban on non-government devices. A similar earlier federal ban on TikTok was passed by Congress. Texas is the first state government to ban Deepseek. (Source: fortune.com, 6 February 2025)

Deepseek has a “built-in capability to send user data directly to the Chinese government.” US cyber security experts told ABC News that Deepseek is a threat to national security. There is a “potential open door between Deepseek and the Chinese government.” Chinese-owned TikTok reported that there is a Chinese law requiring servers to share data with the Chinese government. There is thus the “possibility of a direct path to the PRC hidden in its code.”

Feroot Security claims to have uncovered Deepseek’s hidden code. “Feroot examined the browser-based version of DeepSeek and uncovered encrypted code designed to send user data to CMPassport.com. This discovery suggests that the app may be facilitating unauthorized data collection on a global scale. We see direct links to servers and to companies in China that are under the control of the Chinese government. And this is something that we had never seen in the past,” Feroot CEO Ivan Tsarynny told ABC News.

Deepseek “also creates a digital fingerprint of users, tracking their activities across multiple websites. Such tracking capabilities significantly heighten the risk of personal data being monitored by foreign entities.” (Source: feroot.com)

Cyber security expert Aaron Katersky warns of this “capability” of Deepseek to establish direct links to servers and tech firms in China. Ivan Cerny of the cyber security firm Ferret says “software codes loaded on the Deepseek website have a direct reference and ability to send information to (the Chinese government-owned) China Mobile servers. China Mobile was sanctioned in the US earlier for “(having) a backdoor accessible to the Chinese government.” (Source: Trend News)

Thus, Deepseek, as an instrument for spying on US government devices, is very dangerous in terms of US national security. Its being banned in the US is just a matter of time, if it has not been quickly installed yet. The Deepseek cord must be cut soonest.

Deepseek has installed a “server busy, please try again later” status so the millions of inquiries can be barred from its website. Certain bright boys, however, suggested how to get around the “server busy” hurdle. Visit DEEPSEEK–The Server is Busy. Please Try Again Later–(How I Fixed it)–YouTube.