The web login page of DeepSeek's chatbot features heavily obfuscated computer scripts, which, when deciphered, reveal connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile, a state-owned telecommunications company. The code appears to be an integral part of DeepSeek's account creation and user login process.

DeepSeek's privacy policy acknowledges the storage of data on servers located within the People's Republic of China. However, the chatbot's direct ties to the Chinese state are more extensive than previously known, as revealed by researchers who traced the link to China Mobile. The US has cited close ties between China Mobile and the Chinese military as justification for imposing limited sanctions on the company.

Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity firm, first discovered the code linking DeepSeek to one of China's leading mobile phone providers and shared its findings with The Associated Press. The AP then consulted a second set of computer experts, who confirmed the presence of China Mobile code on DeepSeek's website.

Although neither Feroot nor other researchers observed data being transferred to China Mobile when testing logins in North America, they could not rule out the possibility that data for some users was being transferred to the Chinese telecom. This analysis only applies to the web version of DeepSeek, as the mobile version, which remains one of the most downloaded pieces of software on both Apple and Google app stores, was not examined.

The US Federal Communications Commission unanimously denied China Mobile the authority to operate in the United States in 2019, citing "substantial" national security concerns due to links between the company and the Chinese state. In 2021, the Biden administration  issued sanctions limiting Americans' ability to invest in China Mobile after the Pentagon connected it to the Chinese military.

Feroot CEO Ivan Tsarynny said: "It's mindboggling that we are unknowingly allowing China to survey Americans and we are doing nothing about it. It's hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying 'Where there's smoke, there's fire'? In this instance, there's a lot of smoke."

This revelation raises significant questions about the extent of China's reach and influence over global data, and the potential security implications for users of DeepSeek's AI chatbot.