DeepSeek faces expulsion from app stores in Germany
HighlightsGermany's data protection commissioner Meike Kamp has requested that Apple Inc. and Google LLC remove the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek from their app stores due to concerns over illegal data transfers to China. DeepSeek has been criticized for failing to provide adequate evidence that the personal data of German users is protected in China at a level comparable to that within the European Union. The technology company DeepSeek has faced scrutiny in multiple countries, with Italy already blocking its app and the Netherlands banning its use on government devices due to data security concerns.
Germany
's
data protection
commissioner has asked
Apple and Google
to remove
Chinese AI startup
DeepSeek
from their
app stores
in the country due to concerns about data protection, following a similar crackdown elsewhere.
Commissioner Meike Kamp said in a statement on Friday that she had made the request because DeepSeek illegally transfers users' personal data to China.
The two US tech giants must now review the request promptly and decide whether to block the app in Germany, she added, though her office has not set a precise timeframe.
Google said it had received the notice and was reviewing it.
DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment.
Apple
was not immediately available for comment.
According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous pieces of personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China.
"DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users' data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union," Kamp said.
"Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies," she added.
The commissioner said she took the decision after asking DeepSeek in May to meet the requirements for non-EU data transfers or else voluntarily withdraw its app. DeepSeek did not comply with this request, she added.
DeepSeek shook the technology world in January with claims that it had developed an AI model to rival those from U.S. firms such as ChatGPT creator
OpenAI
at much lower cost.
However, it has come under scrutiny in the United States and Europe for its data security policies.
Italy blocked it from app stores there earlier this year, citing a lack of information on its use of personal data, while the Netherlands has banned it on government devices.
Belgium has recommended government officials not to use DeepSeek. "Further analyses are underway to evaluate the approach to be followed," a government spokesperson said.
In Spain, the consumer rights group OCU asked the government's data protection agency in February to investigate threats likely posed by DeepSeek, though no ban has come into force.
US lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would ban U.S. executive agencies from using any AI models developed in China.
Reuters exclusively reported this week that DeepSeek is aiding China's military and intelligence operations.
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