DeepSeek: configuring privacy and deploying a local version

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We explain what data DeepSeek collects, who it shares it with, how to configure the chatbot for maximum privacy, and how to install a local version.
 
We’ve previously written about why neural networks are not the best choice for private conversations. Popular chatbots like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Gemini collect user data for training by default, so developers can see all our secrets: every chat you have with the chatbot is stored on company servers. This is precisely why it’s essential to understand what data each neural network collects, and how to set them up for maximum privacy.

In our previous post, we covered configuring ChatGPT’s privacy and security in abundant detail. Today, we examine the privacy settings in China’s answer to ChatGPT — DeepSeek. Curiously, unlike in ChatGPT, there aren’t that many at all.

What data DeepSeek collects

• All data from your interactions with the chatbot, images and videos included
  
• Details you provide in your account
  
• IP address and approximate location
  
• Information about your device: type, model, and operating system
  
• The browser you’re using
  
• Information about errors
  

What’s troubling is that the company doesn’t specify how long it keeps personal data, operating instead on the principle of “retain it as long as needed”. The privacy policy states that the data retention period varies depending on why the data is collected, yet no time limit is mentioned. Is this not another reason to avoid sharing sensitive information with these neural networks? After all, dataset leaks containing users’ personal data have become an everyday occurrence in the world of AI.

If you want to keep your IP address private while you work with DeepSeek, use a Kaspersky Security Cloud. Be wary of free VPN apps: threat actors frequently use them to create botnets (networks of compromised devices). Your smartphone or computer, and by extension, you yourself, could thus become unwitting accomplices in actual crimes.

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