DeepSeek Spotted Sharing User Data with TikTok Parent Company

DeepSeek’s decision to share collected data with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company in China, has heightened privacy concerns surrounding the AI firm.

DeepSeek data privacy concerns

DeepSeek found itself again the subject of security concerns after South Korean security researchers spotted it sharing harvested data with third parties.

In early February, researchers identified an obfuscated script on DeepSeek’s website that scraped account creation and login data and sent it to Chinese state-owned telecom company China Mobile.

Now, a fresh series of concerns revolve around DeepSeek, as the company has been seen sending data over to TikTok’s parent company.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), the same data protection regulation agency that halted new downloads of DeepSeek’s mobile apps for privacy violations, disclosed that the AI firm sent data to ByteDance.

Extent and scope of collected data currently unclear

"We confirmed DeepSeek communicating with ByteDance," said a PIPC spokesperson. The representative added that the agency has "yet to confirm what data was transferred and to what extent."

While DeepSeek’s reason for sharing data with ByteDance remains unclear, the latter faces some scrutiny after being banned in the US, despite President Trump’s decision to delay the nationwide ban for 75 days.

The decision to ban the popular short-form video app stemmed from growing fears that the platform may be used for influence-peddling and data-harvesting.

Thus, it makes sense that South Korea decided to halt new DeepSeek mobile app downloads based on fears that users' data may be harvested and shared without their consent with third parties.

How to protect your digital privacy

As the internet morphs into a playground for various companies and services and slowly drifts away from its user-centric design, protecting your digital footprint is becoming more critical than ever.

Dedicated services like Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection help you monitor your online data by providing a comprehensive overview that includes traces from services you no longer use.

It constantly scans both the public and the Dark Web for your data, notifies you if you have been compromised by a breach, and helps you patch weak spots in your digital footprint with quick, one-click action items.

Bitdefender VPN can also help you protect your digital identity by anonymizing your connection, letting you browse the internet and use online services without fear of being snooped upon.