• AI company DeepSeek reportedly has code in its programming with a direct pipeline to send data to China. Cyber security experts alerted ABC News of their findings.
• DeepSeek supposedly has a link to a Chinese company, called China Mobile that was banned from operating in the United States in 2019 due to American national security concerns.
• So far, no reaction to the report from DeepSeek, but one U.S. Congressman is calling on the U.S. to ban DeepSeek from all government devices.

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The artificial intelligence tool, DeepSeek, reportedly has code in its programming with the built-in capability to send user data to the Chinese government. The finding is according to cyber security experts who spoke with ABC News.

How did DeepSeek burst on the public scene?

DeepSeek burst on the scene last week when it announced that it had developed an artificial intelligence model that costs far less to operate than American competitors, such as OpenAI. The surprising news sent the U.S. stock market plunging.

What are the concerns and risks about its coding?

However, the potential risk that DeepSeek poses to national security appears to be greater than originally feared. Cyber security experts call it an open door between DeepSeek and the Chinese government. The CEO of Feroot Security in Toronto, Canada, Ivan Tsarynny, told ABC News his company sees direct links to servers that are under the control of the Chinese government.

What is DeepSeek’s connection to Chinese technology?

Tsarynny said his company used AI software to decrypt portions of DeepSeek’s code. They found what appeared to be intentionally hidden programming that has the capability to send user data to a website and China Mobile, a telecommunications company that is owned and operated by the Chinese government.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned China Mobile from operating in the United States in 2019 due to concerns that could create irreparable damage to U.S. national security.

What is the reaction so far from the United States?

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who is on the House Intelligence Committee, calls the findings alarming and believes DeepSeek should be banned from all government devices.

DeepSeek has not responded to the ABC News report.