---
title: "DeepSeek API | Ethical Stack"
url: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/
catalog_version: f6baff2119d0e9158520da7fbe4232011dac79f25bd08757436d7a1dbd593db2
---

# DeepSeek API

Direct API access to DeepSeek models using OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible request formats.

Canonical profile: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/

Scope: DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.

Published overall: 3.3; 4/6 dimensions rated.

Round the equal-weight mean of available numerical ratings to one decimal; require at least four of six for an overall score. BDS status stays outside the mean; for eligible profiles, a boycott target caps the final score at 2/10 and a pressure target subtracts one point (minimum 1). Not listed and not checked do not adjust the score.

## Energy practices

Finding: 3/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#energy

For the DeepSeek chat-completions API boundary, public documentation establishes the service or route but not its request-level physical footprint. The API documents a selectable model, thinking mode and maximum output-token cap; these are request controls, not measured power reductions. Electricity sourcing is not mapped to this route.

Reason: 1 + 1 reporting + 0 electricity + 1 controls = 3/10. This grades documented practices and transparency.

Argument: This practices/transparency assessment covers the DeepSeek chat-completions API boundary. The sources establish how the service or endpoint is exposed and provide the request controls described in the demand component; they do not give a measured per-request energy, emissions or water value. The disclosure point reflects the stated operating boundary, not a product footprint, and company-wide electricity reporting is not attributed to this route.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (dimension): DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: The reviewed sources do not establish request-level electricity, emissions or water; the actual serving facility and its power mix are also not mapped to DeepSeek chat-completions API.

```json
{
  "method": "practices-transparency-v1",
  "scope": "DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.",
  "components": {
    "disclosure": {
      "score": 1,
      "reason": "The reviewed documentation defines the DeepSeek chat-completions API boundary. It gives an operating-scope description, not a dated quantitative energy, carbon or water report for this route.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/create-chat-completion/"
      ]
    },
    "electricity": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No reviewed source maps DeepSeek chat-completions API to a disclosed electricity mix or time-and-location-matched clean-power supply. The route's actual electricity use and emissions therefore remain unestablished.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/create-chat-completion/"
      ]
    },
    "demand": {
      "score": 1,
      "reason": "The API documents a selectable model, thinking mode and maximum output-token cap; these are request controls, not measured power reductions.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/",
        "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/create-chat-completion/"
      ]
    }
  },
  "actualImpactMeasured": false
}
```

- [DeepSeek API documentation](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DeepSeek API models and pricing](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Chat Completions API | DeepSeek API Docs](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/create-chat-completion/) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

## Training data

Finding: Depends on the model

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#training-rights

The API selects among model IDs and uses distinct developer terms. API prompts and outputs do not reveal rights in the underlying pretraining corpus.

Reason: The API selects among model IDs and uses distinct developer terms. API prompts and outputs do not reveal rights in the underlying pretraining corpus.

Argument: User prompts, model-improvement settings, and the original training corpus are different evidence questions. The reviewed product documentation does not identify a fixed model version and complete corpus-rights record for DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility., so this assessment remains unscored.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Exact model selection, release version, source inventory, permissions, post-training data, and creator-remedy scope remain unresolved.

```json
{
  "method": "training-rights-evidence-v1",
  "scope": "The stated training release or selected model",
  "components": null,
  "routeDependency": "The API selects among model IDs and uses distinct developer terms. API prompts and outputs do not reveal rights in the underlying pretraining corpus.",
  "modelReference": null
}
```

- [DeepSeek API documentation](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DeepSeek Terms of Use](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

## Your data & privacy

Finding: Not enough evidence

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#privacy

DeepSeek API documentation establishes endpoints, authentication, model names, pricing, and request isolation, but does not establish API-specific content retention or training terms in the reviewed docs.

Reason: No numerical score assigned because the reviewed evidence does not establish the route-specific controls needed for one.

Argument: The API and consumer chatbot are separate services. The consumer privacy policy explicitly excludes downstream systems built using the open platform, while the API docs do not specify full data-retention terms; consumer-app policy cannot safely be transferred to API traffic.

Type: argument; confidence: low

Scope (profile): DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: API request retention, training use, abuse monitoring, regional handling, and applicable business terms need direct account-specific confirmation.

- [DeepSeek API documentation](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DeepSeek API models and pricing](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Openness

Finding: 2/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#openness

This is a hosted service with a public interface but no documented self-hostable product runtime or weights in the reviewed sources.

Reason: The score reflects service-level inspectability and control, not usefulness or model quality.

Argument: The service provides a hosted product or API interface, while the reviewed product material does not expose the serving implementation and current model weights for independent deployment. This rates this service scope, not separately released model weights.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): DeepSeek developer API service and current selected model endpoint; downstream app privacy is the customer’s responsibility.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: SDKs, APIs, or model families may have separate licenses and do not make this service itself self-hostable.

- [DeepSeek API documentation](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DeepSeek API models and pricing](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Worker protections

Finding: 1/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#labour

DeepSeek’s reviewed model, privacy and user-term materials do not establish employment conditions, a worker grievance route or labor assurance for its AI supply chain.

Reason: 1 + 0 pay & conditions + 0 worker voice & remedy + 0 evidence & follow-through = 1/10. This grades documented worker safeguards, not a measured rate of mistreatment.

Argument: The sources reviewed provide product, terms, or corporate information but no qualifying disclosure about conditions for data annotators, evaluators, moderators, or infrastructure workers. This is a disclosure gap within the checked materials, not evidence that workers are mistreated or that no labor policy exists. This entry carries the same developer/operator finding to DeepSeek API; it does not establish that this product was deployed under every cited relationship.

Type: argument; confidence: low

Scope (dimension): DeepSeek: the documented developer/operator record, not proof of deployment of DeepSeek API.

Research reviewed: 2026-10-24; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Worker counts, locations, pay, labor protections, worker voice mechanisms, supplier coverage, and independent audit or remediation outcomes were not established in the sources reviewed.

```json
{
  "method": "worker-safeguards-evidence-v1",
  "entity": "deepseek",
  "company": "DeepSeek",
  "scope": "DeepSeek's workforce and disclosed contractors. Coverage of individual product teams may be incomplete.",
  "components": {
    "conditions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "Reviewed sources provide no qualifying disclosure of worker conditions; this zero is limited to the checked material and is not an exhaustive claim.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    },
    "voice": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No qualifying worker-voice mechanism or documented worker grievance outcomes were disclosed in the reviewed material.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    },
    "assurance": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No independent labor audit results, worker-level corroboration, or remediation outcomes were disclosed in the reviewed material.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    }
  },
  "disclosureLimited": true,
  "meaning": "This grades documented worker safeguards, not a measured rate of mistreatment."
}
```

- [DeepSeek V4 public summary of training content](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf) (primary; checked 2026-10-23)

- [DeepSeek Terms of Use](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

- [DeepSeek Privacy Policy (updated February 10, 2026)](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html) (primary; checked 2026-10-23)

## Military ties

Finding: 7/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#military-contracts

No DeepSeek military customer, contract or deployment is identified in the reviewed official sources.

Reason: 7 base + 0 safeguard adjustment = 7/10 (0 of 9 safeguard points; every 3 adds 1). No military relationship was established in the cited sources. This ranks above known defense ties without claiming a verified clean record.

Argument: DeepSeek’s reviewed official terms, privacy material and model disclosures do not identify a defense customer, military contract or deployment. Public model artifacts can be reused downstream, but that does not establish DeepSeek’s own military relationship or any customer-specific safeguard. This entry carries the same developer/operator finding to DeepSeek API; it does not establish that this product was deployed under every cited relationship.

Type: argument; confidence: low

Scope (dimension): DeepSeek: the documented developer/operator record, not proof of deployment of DeepSeek API.

Research reviewed: 2026-10-24; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Complete contract texts, undisclosed customers, end-use restrictions, actual workload deployment, and independent compliance or outcome reports are unavailable in the reviewed public material.

```json
{
  "method": "military-ties-priority-v2",
  "entity": "deepseek",
  "company": "DeepSeek",
  "scope": "DeepSeek's relationships and safeguards. A company relationship does not identify every product or release used.",
  "components": {
    "restrictions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "The reviewed terms or policy material contains no qualifying military-use restriction beyond general lawfulness/export compliance; this zero is limited to the reviewed source set.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    },
    "oversight": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No military-specific review, enforcement, or remedy mechanism was disclosed in the sources reviewed.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    },
    "transparency": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No military-specific relationship or military-specific transparency policy was disclosed in the materials reviewed; this is a scoped disclosure finding.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html",
        "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html"
      ]
    }
  },
  "relationship": "not-established",
  "relationshipReason": "DeepSeek’s model disclosures and user terms reviewed here do not identify a military contract, named defense customer, or military deployment. Its open model artifacts permit downstream uses, but that does not establish DeepSeek’s own military relationship.",
  "score": 7,
  "baseScore": 7,
  "safeguardPoints": 0,
  "safeguardAdjustment": 0,
  "rawScore": 7,
  "cap": null,
  "disclosureLimited": true,
  "meaning": "Known military relationships take priority over missing safeguards. The rating does not establish the probability of an undisclosed contract."
}
```

- [DeepSeek V4 public summary of training content](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/DeepSeek-V4-public-summary-of-training-content.pdf) (primary; checked 2026-10-23)

- [DeepSeek Terms of Use](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-terms-of-use.html) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

- [DeepSeek Privacy Policy (updated February 10, 2026)](https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html) (primary; checked 2026-10-23)

## BDS targets

Finding: Not listed

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/providers/deepseek-api/#israel-palestine

We did not find DeepSeek among the named targets in the two official BNC campaign lists checked on 2026-10-23. This is a limited list check, not BDS approval.

Reason: BDS campaign status is a factual category, not a 1–10 ethical rating.

Argument: DeepSeek is not a named target in the checked lists, but BDS uses selective campaigns, so absence cannot establish a clean record. Running downloaded weights locally is a different decision from paying the developer or a cloud host; check the host as well. This entry carries the same developer/operator finding to DeepSeek API; it does not establish that this product was deployed under every cited relationship.

Type: evidence; confidence: medium

Scope (dimension): DeepSeek: the documented developer/operator record, not proof of deployment of DeepSeek API.

Research reviewed: 2026-10-23; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: This review covers the named targets in the BNC consumer/pressure guide and No Tech campaign, not every BDS campaign, local group, investment or supplier. Lists and ownership can change. A company’s absence from these lists is not an endorsement or proof that it has no relevant relationships.

- [BNC: live guide to consumer boycott and pressure targets](https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott) (campaign; checked 2026-10-23)

- [BNC: No Tech for Oppression, Apartheid or Genocide campaign](https://bdsmovement.net/no-tech-oppression-apartheid-or-genocide) (campaign; checked 2026-10-23)

## Reading the evidence

- Assessments are provisional editorial judgments. Cite the profile and the underlying sources, and retain confidence, scope and unknowns.

- Unknown, not-applicable and model-dependent are different states. Missing evidence does not establish good or bad conduct.

- Company-level evidence does not establish use of a particular product or model. Account plan, model, host and route can change an assessment.

- Energy scores describe documented practices and transparency, not measured request emissions. Zero component points can mean an evidence gap.

- Published overall scores require at least four of six numerical dimensions. Preserve coverage and BDS adjustments; BDS itself is categorical.

- No named BDS target found is limited to the reviewed campaign sources and is not approval. Personalized priorities do not change the published overall score.

- Review and source-check dates describe the research, not this deployment. Fetch current primary sources when the decision requires current verification.

Methodology: https://ethicalstack.ai/methodology/