DeepSeek
What DeepSeek keeps, for how long, whether it trains on it, and what rights you grant, for DeepSeek chat (app and website), DeepSeek Open Platform (API). Each answer quotes DeepSeek's own policy.
DeepSeek chat (app and website) Consumer app
- Default retention How long prompts and chats are kept
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Stated Inputs (prompts, files, chat history) and account data are kept for as long as you have an account. No fixed period in days is given.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"For example, when we process your Personal Data to provide you with the Services, we keep this Personal Data for as long as you have an account. This Personal Data includes your account Personal Data, input and payment Personal Data."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"We retain Personal Data for as long as necessary to provide our Services and for the other purposes set out in this Privacy Policy."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - After you delete How long until it is gone
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Stated You can delete chat history in settings, or delete your account (irreversible). No timeframe for actual erasure is stated, and some data may be kept after deletion.
What the policies say (5 quotes)
"Should you choose to do so, you may also copy or delete your chat history via your settings."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"If you choose to delete your account, you will not be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or Personal Data in connection with your account."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"However, even after the user deletes the account, we still have the right to:"
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Retain certain data of the user as required by laws and regulations."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"When the Personal Data collected is no longer required by us, we and our service providers will perform the necessary procedures for destroying, deleting, erasing, or converting it into an anonymous form as permitted or required under applicable laws."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Kept longer when Safety flags, legal holds, backups
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Stated Data may be kept longer for legal obligations, 'legitimate business interest' (including improving the service and safety), legal claims, and to handle rule violations. No durations are given.
What the policies say (4 quotes)
"We also retain Personal Data when necessary to comply with contractual and legal obligations, when we have a legitimate business interest to do so (such as improving and developing our Services and enhancing their safety, security and stability), and for the exercise or defense of legal claims."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"If you violate any of our terms, policies or guidelines, we may keep your Personal Data as necessary to process the violation."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"For behaviors suspected of violating laws and regulations or involving illegal activities, relevant records will be retained, and reports will be made to the competent authorities in accordance with the law, cooperating with their investigations."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Exercise the rights stipulated in these Terms for any illegal or violating behavior committed by the user during the use of the Services before deletion."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Zero data retention Whether it exists and who can get it
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Not stated The captured policies don't mention zero data retention for the chat app.
- Trains on your data By default
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Inferred Inferred on by default, since an opt-out exists. Inputs and outputs train models; the EU table lists User Input for training under legitimate interests, plus consent 'when we ask'.
What the policies say (4 quotes)
"To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Under the premise of secure encryption technology processing, strict de-identification rendering, and irreversibility to identify specific individuals, we may, to a minimal extent, use Inputs and Outputs to provide, maintain, operate, develop or improve the Services or the underlying technologies supporting the Services."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Our legitimate interests to identify and resolve issues with the Platform and to improve the Platform; and to conduct research and protect Personal Data through aggregation or anonymization, consistent with data minimization and privacy by design principles."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Opting out How, and what it doesn't cover
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Stated Turn off "Improve the model for everyone"; opting out is also listed as a privacy right. The captured policies don't say what the opt-out excludes or whether it covers past data.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"If you refuse to allow us to process the data in the manner described above, you can opt out by turning off "Improve the model for everyone"."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"the right to opt-out of using your Personal Data for training our models or optimizing our technologies."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Human review Whether people read conversations
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Not stated The captured policies don't say whether staff read conversations. They describe only automated review (risk filtering); see provider notes.
- Memory Remembered facts and profiles
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Not stated The captured policies describe no persistent memory or profile feature, only saved chat history, which you can copy or delete in settings.
- Connected apps Email, calendar, drive
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Stated The only mention: if you log in with or link a third-party service (e.g. Apple, Google), DeepSeek may collect data such as an access token. Email, calendar, or drive connectors and what happens on disconnect are not covered.
What the policy says
"if you choose to sign-up or log-in to the Services using a third-party service such as Apple or Google, or link your account to a third-party service, we may collect Personal Data from the third-party service, such as access token."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Agent actions Actions taken, browsing, credentials
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Stated With Search on, your input keywords go to third-party search APIs. DeepSeek also logs which features you use and the actions you take. Agent action logs and stored credentials are not described.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"We integrate third-party APIs to provide search services, and we will share your input keywords to provide these services."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"We collect Personal Data regarding your use of the Services, such as the features you use and the actions you take."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Your inputs Who owns them
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Stated You keep whatever rights you have in your inputs.
What the policy says
"(1) You retain any rights, title, and interests—if any—in the Inputs you submit;"
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Outputs Who owns them
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Stated DeepSeek assigns you any rights it has in outputs. Outputs may not be unique, and you may use them broadly, including to train other models (distillation).
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"(2) We assign any rights, title, and interests—if any—in the Outputs of the Services to you. Due to the nature of our Services and artificial intelligence generally, Outputs may not be unique and other users may receive similar Outputs from our Services."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"(3) You may apply the Inputs and Outputs of the Services to a wide range of use cases, including personal use, academic research, derivative product development, training other models (such as model distillation), etc., as long as such usage is legal and adhere to these Terms."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - License you grant Scope, and whether it is perpetual
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Stated No explicit license clause. You warrant DeepSeek may process inputs; it may use de-identified inputs and outputs to improve services, and feedback without restriction. Duration and survival unstated.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"By submitting Inputs to our Services, you represent and warrant that you have all rights, licenses, and permissions that are necessary for us to process the Inputs under our Terms."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"We appreciate your feedback, and you agree that we may use it without restriction or compensation to you."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Sharing Model providers, subprocessors, ads
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Stated Shared with service providers (search, analytics, safety), group companies (including for foundation model training), law enforcement, and in corporate deals. DeepSeek says it doesn't sell data or target ads.
What the policies say (5 quotes)
"These entities process the Personal Data You Provide, Automatically Collected Personal Data, and Personal Data from Other Sources for us, as necessary to provide certain functions, such as storage, content delivery, security, research and development, foundation model training and optimization, analytics, customer and technical support."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"We use support and safety monitoring services providers to assist us in ensuring the safety of our Services."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"comply with applicable law, legal process or government requests, as consistent with internationally recognized standards, in accordance with the due process prescribed by law;"
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"NOTE WE DO NOT ENGAGE IN TARGETED ADVERTISING, “SELL” PERSONAL DATA OR USE PERSONAL DATA FOR “PROFILING”"
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"This could include providing law enforcement agencies or emergency services with Personal Data in urgent situations to protect health or life."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Where data lives Regions and residency
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Stated Data is collected, processed and stored in the People's Republic of China, including for EEA, Swiss and UK users. No data residency options are mentioned.
What the policy says
"The Personal Data we collect from you may be stored on a server located outside of the country where you live. To provide you with our services, we directly collect, process and store your Personal Data in People's Republic of China."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Enterprise controls Retention settings, DPA, SSO
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Not stated The captured policies describe no business or enterprise plan, DPA, SSO, audit logs, or custom retention for the chat app.
DeepSeek Open Platform (API) API
- Default retention How long prompts and chats are kept
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Inferred The Open Platform Terms give no API retention period. We infer the privacy policy's 'while you have an account' rule covers developers' own data; end users' data falls outside it.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"We will collect and process the personal information you provide as the data subject in accordance with the "[DeepSeek Privacy Policy](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html)"."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"we keep this Personal Data for as long as you have an account. This Personal Data includes your account Personal Data, input and payment Personal Data."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - After you delete How long until it is gone
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Inferred API and chat share one account, so we infer the general Terms' deletion rules apply: deletion is irreversible and some data may be kept as law requires. No timeframe stated.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"The Open Platform Service and the chat service use the same account."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Retain certain data of the user as required by laws and regulations."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Kept longer when Safety flags, legal holds, backups
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Stated Records of suspected illegal activity are kept and may be reported to authorities. No durations are given.
What the policy says
"For behaviors suspected of violating laws and regulations or involving illegal activities, relevant records will be retained, and reports will be made to the competent authorities in accordance with the law, cooperating with their investigations."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Zero data retention Whether it exists and who can get it
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Not stated The captured policies don't mention zero data retention for the API.
- Trains on your data By default
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Inferred The Open Platform Terms are silent on training. We infer the general Terms apply; they cover APIs and allow de-identified use of inputs and outputs to improve services.
What the policies say (3 quotes)
"serves as a Specific Agreement to the "[DeepSeek Terms of Use](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html)""
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"application programming interfaces (APIs)"
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"we may, to a minimal extent, use Inputs and Outputs to provide, maintain, operate, develop or improve the Services or the underlying technologies supporting the Services."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Opting out How, and what it doesn't cover
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Not stated No API-specific opt-out is described. The captured policies don't say whether the "Improve the model for everyone" setting covers API traffic.
- Human review Whether people read conversations
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Not stated The captured policies don't say whether people review API traffic.
- Memory Remembered facts and profiles
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Not stated No memory feature is described for the API.
- Connected apps Email, calendar, drive
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Not stated No connectors are described for the API.
- Agent actions Actions taken, browsing, credentials
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Not stated No agent action logs or provider-stored credentials are described. Developers are responsible for keeping their API keys secret.
- Your inputs Who owns them
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Stated Developers keep whatever rights they have in their inputs.
What the policy says
"(1) You retain any rights, title, and interests—if any—in the Inputs you submit;"
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Outputs Who owns them
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Stated DeepSeek assigns developers any rights it has in outputs, and outputs may be used to train other models (distillation).
What the policy says
"(2) We assign any rights, title, and interests—if any—in the Outputs of the Services to you; (3) You may apply the Inputs and Outputs of the Services to a wide range of use cases, including personal use, academic research, derivative product development, training other models (such as model distillation), etc."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - License you grant Scope, and whether it is perpetual
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Stated There is no explicit license grant. You warrant DeepSeek may process your inputs, and each party keeps its existing IP. Scope, duration and survival are not stated.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"By submitting Inputs to our Services, you represent and warrant that you have all rights, licenses, and permissions that are necessary for us to process the Inputs under our Terms."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Each party retains ownership of their intellectual property as it stood prior to using the Services. Neither party's rights will be transferred to the other, nor will they become jointly owned, as a result of fulfilling this Terms."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Sharing Model providers, subprocessors, ads
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Stated Developers control end-user data and must get consent before passing it to DeepSeek. The privacy policy's sharing rules cover developers' own data; end-user data sharing isn't separately stated.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"You shall obtain the consent of end users or have other legal basis for the collection, processing of personal information, and delegation of personal information processing to us."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"However, when your end users access downstream systems, applications, or functions that you've developed based on the open platform, the processing rules for their collected personal information are not covered by this privacy policy."
DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Servicecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Where data lives Regions and residency
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Inferred The Open Platform Terms don't say. The privacy policy, which covers developers' data, says data is stored in the PRC, so we infer API data is too. No residency options are mentioned.
What the policy says
"To provide you with our services, we directly collect, process and store your Personal Data in People's Republic of China."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 - Enterprise controls Retention settings, DPA, SSO
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Not stated Enterprise developers are mentioned, but no DPA, SSO, audit logs or custom retention are described. Developers must set up their own security measures.
Notes
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The data controller is a Chinese company, and disputes fall under mainland PRC law and Hangzhou courts.
What the policies say (3 quotes)
"The Services are provided and controlled by **Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.,** with its registered address in China"
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"The establishment, execution, interpretation, and resolution of disputes under these Terms shall be governed by the laws of the People's Republic of China in the mainland."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"either party has the right to file a lawsuit with a court having jurisdiction over the location of the registered office of Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 -
DeepSeek reviews user behavior by automated means, including risk filters and databases of illegal-content features.
What the policy says
"To fulfill legal and compliance requirements, DeepSeek has the right to use technical means to review the behavior of users using the Services, including but not limited to establishing risk filtering mechanisms, and creating databases for illegal content features."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 -
Publicly available data from online sources is also used to train models.
What the policy says
"We may obtain publicly available Personal Data via online sources to train our models and provide Services."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 -
Anyone with a shared-conversation link can view it, and DeepSeek warns that shared chats may be scraped despite its robots.txt protection.
What the policies say (2 quotes)
"Anyone who has access to a shared link can view the linked Dialogues."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"However, due to the technical limitations commonly existing within the industry, such risks cannot be entirely eliminated."
DeepSeek Terms of Usecdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 -
DeepSeek's EU legal-bases table lists User Input, device, log and location data for every main purpose, including model training (legitimate interests, plus consent 'when we ask'), legal compliance and safety research.
What the policies say (4 quotes)
"To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Our legitimate interests to identify and resolve issues with the Platform and to improve the Platform; and to conduct research and protect Personal Data through aggregation or anonymization, consistent with data minimization and privacy by design principles."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"Your consent when we ask for it to process your Personal Data for a specific purpose to provide services."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08"To promote the safety, security, and stability of the Platform, such as by preventing and detecting abuse, fraud, and illegal activity on the Platform and by conducting troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, and research."
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08 -
For users aged 14 to 17, DeepSeek says it may rely on legitimate interests instead of contract to process their data.
What the policy says
"If you are 14 or older but under the age of 18, with a limited ability to enter into an enforceable contract only, where we may be unable to process your Personal Data on the grounds of contractual necessity, we rely on legitimate interests"
DeepSeek Privacy Policycdn.deepseek.comcaptured 2026-11-08
Open questions
Questions the captured policies leave unanswered, and where the answer probably lives.
No specific retention period (in days) for chat logs or API inputs, and no timeline for erasure after deleting a chat or account. A data-retention or help-center page would likely say.
The linked 'Model Mechanism and Training Methods of DeepSeek' page (model-algorithm-disclosure.html) was not captured. It likely explains what training data is used and how the opt-out works.
Whether API traffic is used for training, and whether the 'Improve the model for everyone' toggle covers the API. API docs or an Open Platform FAQ would likely answer.
Whether staff read conversations, and under what conditions, is not addressed.
No ZDR, DPA, enterprise, or data-residency terms in any captured policy. An enterprise or sales agreement would likely cover these.
The Cookies Policy linked from the privacy policy was not captured.
Documents read
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DeepSeek Open Platform Terms of Service
cdn.deepseek.com captured 2026-11-08 sha256 256e4bc1b48f -
DeepSeek Privacy Policy
cdn.deepseek.com captured 2026-11-08 sha256 9ed11d792dce -
DeepSeek Terms of Use
cdn.deepseek.com captured 2026-11-08 sha256 86d722a3c534