China's DeepSeek AI chatbox app is posing similar national security and ethical concerns that ultimately led Congress to ban TikTok, after it was discovered that the app stores its fast-growing troves of U.S. user data in China.

DeepSeek, which was rolled out on Jan. 15, rose to the top of the charts in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store on Tuesday, and has been downloaded more than 2 million times, the New York Post reported.

Although it is not uncommon for AI chatboxes to store user data, the information being stored in China is concerning, according to experts. DeepSeek’s terms of service says all user data is stored “in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China," and it automatically collects personal data such as “device model, operating system, keystroke patterns or rhythms, IP address, and system language.” 

In addition, DeepSeek has shown signs of censorship and bias. It won't answer, for example, prompts about the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, the country's leader Xi Jinping, certain questions about Taiwan, and known human rights abuses by China against the Uighurs, according to the Post. 

Under Chinese Cybersecurity laws, the government can access data from any Chinese company upon request, meaning they can potentially access the U.S. data collected by DeepSeek.

The national security concerns prompted the U.S. Navy last week to ban servicemembers from using the DeepSeek model "in any capacity," according to CNBC.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.