It’s interesting to see a Chinese LLM like DeepSeek enter the global stage, particularly given the backdrop of concerns over data security with other Chinese-owned platforms, like TikTok. The key question here is: if DeepSeek becomes widely adopted, will we see a similar wave of scrutiny over data privacy?

With TikTok, concerns arose partly because of its reach and the vast amount of personal information it collects. An LLM like DeepSeek would arguably have even more potential to gather sensitive data, especially as these models can learn from and remember interaction patterns, potentially accessing or “training” on sensitive information users might input without thinking.

The challenge is that we’re not yet certain how much data DeepSeek would retain and where it would be stored. For countries already wary of data leaving their borders or being accessible to foreign governments, we could see restrictions or monitoring mechanisms placed on similar LLMs—especially if companies start using these models in environments where proprietary information is involved.

In short, if DeepSeek or similar Chinese LLMs gain traction, it’s quite likely they’ll face the same level of scrutiny (or more) that we’ve seen with apps like TikTok.