Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek has been banned from Apple and Google’s app stores in Italy and Ireland over concerns about its use of personal data.
A notice on Apple’s App Store in Italy said the app was “currently not available in the country or area you are in.” A message on Google Play Store said the download “was not supported” in the country.
Earlier this week, the Italian Data Protection Authority requested information on DeepSeek’s use of personal data – what was collected, its sourcing, for what purposes and on what legal basis, and whether it is stored in China. It gave DeepSeek and its affiliated companies 20 days to respond.
“Our office will launch an in-depth investigation to see if GDPR rules are being respected,” Pasquale Stanzione, president of the Italian data regulator, told news agency ANSA, referring to the European Union (EU) data protection regulation. He said the regulator – considered one of Europe’s most active watchdogs on the use of AI – was seeking reassurances on safeguarding for underage users of the app, avoidance of bias, and skirting electoral interference.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, meanwhile, said it had also requested information from DeepSeek about data processing of Irish users.
“The Data Protection Commission has written to DeepSeek requesting information on the data processing conducted in relation to data subjects in Ireland,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
What troubles regulators is that DeepSeek’s privacy policy states user data is held on “secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.” Under China’s intelligence law, companies, organizations, and citizens must assist government intelligence efforts – including the handling of sensitive user information without warning.
DeepSeek has stirred as much angst with consumer watchdogs over its handling of data and lack of security as it has unsettled Big Tech with its R1 reasoning model that it claims is inexpensive and advanced. Security experts are particularly jittery about a massive flaw: DeepSeek’s database is vulnerable online, exposing chat logs, API keys, and sensitive backend info.
A German interior ministry spokesperson said the government was monitoring AI applications for potential interference before the Feb. 23 national election. “Of course, the security authorities are concerned with AI applications and possible manipulation, possible influence on the formation of public opinion through AI applications, especially now in view of the Bundestag elections,” the spokesperson said, without naming a specific AI model.
So far, British officials have taken a hands-off approach and left the decision to download the app up to its citizens.
Since the debut of R1 on Jan. 20, it has rocketed to the top of most-downloaded free apps on Apple’s store in the U.S. and UK.
