Data retention - verified
Does DeepSeek store your API prompts?
Default retention: while the account is active. Trains on your API data: Not stated (the privacy policy lists training as a purpose; the API terms do not address it). Zero data retention: not stated. Regional processing: none documented.
Read from cdn.deepseek.com, api-docs.deepseek.com. Compare every AI API's data retention
- Trains on data
- Not stated
- ZDR
- Not stated
- Regions
- None
- Verified
- 2026-10-18
How long are prompts kept by default?
- Default retention
While the account is active
No fixed duration stated. The privacy policy keeps personal data, including input, for as long as the account exists. The Open Platform Terms of Service fetched today contain no retention clause for API inputs/outputs.
“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.”
cdn.deepseek.com - Duration
- Not stated
- Purpose
- Not stated
Does it train on your API data?
Not stated
The privacy policy lists training as a purpose; the API terms do not address it
The privacy policy lists training as a purpose for Inputs and lists a right to opt out; no API-specific statement found in the Open Platform terms.
“To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms.”
“the right to opt-out of using your Personal Data for training our models or optimizing our technologies.”
Zero data retention (ZDR)
- Availability
Not stated: the provider's pages do not mention a ZDR program
No ZDR offering found in DeepSeek's own policies or API docs.
- Who can get it
- Not stated
- Not covered
- Not stated
Features kept longer
Stateful features hold your content until a job finishes, a window expires or you delete it, often regardless of the default above.
| Feature | Retention | The docs say |
|---|---|---|
| Context caching on disk (on by default) | Cleared automatically once unused, usually within a few hours to a few days | “Once the cache is no longer in use, it will be automatically cleared, usually within a few hours to a few days.”api-docs.deepseek.com |
Where is your data stored and processed?
- Regional processing
None documented
- Stated location
People's Republic of China
- How to choose
- Not stated
- What it covers
Both (collect, process and store).
- Summary
No region choice documented. Data collected, processed and stored in the People's Republic of China.
- From the docs
“To provide you with our services, we directly collect, process and store your Personal Data in People's Republic of China.”
cdn.deepseek.com
Regional endpoints
Regional hostnames: Not stated
Certifications
Certifications on the pages checked: Not stated
Research notes
- The privacy policy (Last Update: Feb 10, 2026) covers 'DeepSeek apps, websites, software, and related services'; the Open Platform ToS (effective April 29, 2026) points developers to it for their own personal information. Whether its training and retention language applies to API traffic is not stated explicitly. ToS gives developers rights to Inputs and Outputs, including using outputs to train other models.
FAQ
Does DeepSeek store your API prompts?
While the account is active. No fixed duration stated. The privacy policy keeps personal data, including input, for as long as the account exists. The Open Platform Terms of Service fetched today contain no retention clause for API inputs/outputs. The provider says: "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."
Does DeepSeek train on your API data?
Not stated (the privacy policy lists training as a purpose; the API terms do not address it). The provider says: "To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms."
Does DeepSeek offer zero data retention?
Not stated. No ZDR offering found in DeepSeek's own policies or API docs.
Where does DeepSeek process your data?
Regional processing options: None documented. Stated processing location: People's Republic of China.
Sources
Last verified from DeepSeek's own pages below. Quotes are verbatim.
This page summarizes what each provider's own pages say. It is not legal advice; your contract, data processing addendum and the provider's current terms govern what happens to your data.
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