# Is DeepSeek safe? What it collects, where data goes, and local use

> DeepSeek's policy says prompts and chat history are stored in China. Bans target the app and API. Running the open weights locally sends nothing to DeepSeek.

URL: https://claudegpt.si/news/is-deepseek-safe  
Published: 2026-11-07T22:51:31.976Z  
Author: ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom  
Section: Apps  
Topics: DeepSeek, Privacy, Open-weight models, China  
Publisher: ClaudeGPT Si

## Key takeaways

- DeepSeek's privacy policy (updated February 10, 2026) says it collects prompts, chat history, device data and IP address, and stores them in China.
- The policy allows using your data to train its models and lists a right to opt out.
- Running the MIT-licensed open weights on your own machine sends nothing to DeepSeek.

Whether DeepSeek is safe depends on how you use it. DeepSeek's own privacy policy says the company collects your prompts, chat history and device data from the app and the API, and stores it "in People's Republic of China". Running the open weights on your own machine sends nothing to DeepSeek. This page covers the policy as updated on February 10, 2026, and the actions regulators took.

## What DeepSeek's privacy policy says it collects

The [privacy policy](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html) lists these categories of data:

- **Account data:** date of birth where applicable, username, email or phone number, password.
- **What you type or say:** text, voice, prompts, uploaded files, photos, feedback and chat history.
- **Device and network data:** device model, operating system, IP address, device identifiers, system language, crash and performance data.
- **Usage logs:** the features you use and the actions you take.
- **Approximate location:** derived from your IP address.
- **Other sources:** access tokens from third-party sign-in, security partners and publicly available data.

The policy says the services are not designed for sensitive data and asks users not to provide any. It says cookies and payment data apply to the open platform (the API side), not to the app.

## Where DeepSeek stores your data

The policy says DeepSeek directly collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China, and that data may also sit on servers outside your own country. Account, input and payment data are kept for as long as you have an account, and longer if you break the rules. Data it no longer needs is deleted or anonymized.

## Who gets the data and how it is used

The policy says DeepSeek shares data with service providers (including search API providers that receive your input keywords), companies in its corporate group, parties to a corporate transaction, and law enforcement or authorities when legally required. If you share a chat by public link, the policy warns that web crawlers may reach it.

It also says DeepSeek may use your data to "train and improve our technology", including its machine learning models. The policy lists a right to opt out of training use. Requests go to privacy@deepseek.com. You can delete chat history in settings. Deleting your account is permanent.

## App, API or local: how the risk differs

| | DeepSeek app or website | DeepSeek API | Open weights on your machine |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Who sees your prompts | DeepSeek, stored in China per its policy | DeepSeek, under the same policy, which covers the open platform | Nobody but you |
| Account needed | Yes | Yes, with an API key | No |
| Training use | Allowed by the policy unless you opt out | Same policy | None |
| Cost | Free | Per token | Your hardware |

This table reflects the policy's wording. We did not test the API's data handling separately.

Running locally is the only route where your text never leaves your computer. The weights are published under the MIT license, as [DeepSeek-R1-0528's model card](https://huggingface.co/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1-0528) shows. Only small distilled versions fit on a laptop, and our guide to [running DeepSeek locally](https://claudegpt.si/news/deepseek-how-to-run-locally) lists the sizes and commands. Whether the weights are open in the full sense is covered in [is DeepSeek open source](https://claudegpt.si/news/is-deepseek-open-source).

## What regulators and governments have done

These actions come from a Reuters factbox published January 7, 2026, and an Engadget report on South Korea. Most date from 2025, and the factbox does not say which are still in force.

- **Italy:** the data protection authority blocked the app in January 2025 over a lack of information on personal data use. Italy's antitrust regulator later closed a separate investigation after DeepSeek agreed to binding commitments.
- **South Korea:** the privacy commission paused new app downloads from February 15, 2025, and [said it found](https://www.engadget.com/ai/south-korea-pauses-downloads-of-deekseek-ai-over-privacy-concerns-163302224.html) that DeepSeek was sending users' data to ByteDance. Reuters says access was restored at the end of April. It does not say whether the download suspension was lifted.
- **Germany:** in June 2025 a data protection commissioner said Germany asked Apple and Google to remove the app. No outcome was reported.
- **Government devices:** Australia banned DeepSeek from all government devices, Taiwan banned it in government departments, and the Netherlands banned it for civil servants. The Czech Republic banned public administration from using its services.
- **United States:** lawmakers wrote to the Commerce Department and the Pentagon, and the Trump administration was reported to be weighing penalties. The factbox lists these as requests and proposals.

These are privacy and security actions about the company's app and data handling. None of them says the open weights are unsafe to run yourself.

## How to use DeepSeek with less risk

- Do not paste passwords, client data, source code under NDA or personal documents into the app or API.
- Use the opt-out for training use described in the policy.
- Check whether your employer or country restricts it before using it for work.
- For private material, run a distilled model locally instead.

DeepSeek's policy was last updated on February 10, 2026, so check it again before you rely on this page.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is DeepSeek safe to use?

It depends on what you type. DeepSeek's policy says it stores prompts and chat history in China and may use them for training, so avoid sensitive data in the app or API. A local model keeps data on your machine.

### Where does DeepSeek store data?

Its privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China, and that data may also be stored on servers outside your country.

### Is DeepSeek banned?

Several governments restricted it. Italy blocked the app in January 2025, and Australia, Taiwan and the Netherlands barred it on government devices or for officials. The Reuters factbox does not say which measures are still in force.

### Is running DeepSeek locally safe?

Running open weights on your own machine sends no text to DeepSeek. The weights are MIT-licensed, and small distilled models run on a laptop.

## Sources

- [DeepSeek Privacy Policy](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html), DeepSeek
- [DeepSeek-R1-0528 model card](https://huggingface.co/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1-0528), Hugging Face
- [Governments, regulators increase scrutiny of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2026/01/07/853376.htm), Reuters via Insurance Journal
- [South Korea pauses downloads of DeepSeek AI over privacy concerns](https://www.engadget.com/ai/south-korea-pauses-downloads-of-deekseek-ai-over-privacy-concerns-163302224.html), Engadget