Germany’s top data protection office is raising the alarm over DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot app, for allegedly breaking European privacy laws.
On Friday, Berlin’s data commissioner Meike Kamp urged Apple and Google to consider removing the app from their stores, accusing DeepSeek of unlawfully transferring German user data to China.
“DeepSeek’s transfer of user data to China is unlawful,” Kamp said in a public statement, warning that Chinese authorities may have full access to user information once it reaches servers in China, EuroNews said.
Kamp also noted that DeepSeek failed to prove that it provides the same level of data protection required under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
GDPR rules strictly limit how companies move personal data outside the EU.
Any transfer must have proper safeguards in place, such as legal agreements and data handling standards equal to Europe’s. Kamp claims DeepSeek hasn’t shown that it meets those requirements.
DeepSeek Faces EU Scrutiny for Sending User Data to China
The app, created by Chinese companies Hangzhou DeepSeek and Beijing DeepSeek, gained popularity for offering a cheaper AI chatbot alternative using fewer high-end chips. However, its growing presence in Europe has sparked privacy concerns.
According to CNBC, Kamp’s office notified Apple and Google and expects both tech giants to perform a “timely review” of whether the app should remain available.
If both platforms remove it, the result could be a de facto ban across the entire European Union and potentially the UK as well.
“It is certainly possible that this incident could lead to an EU-wide ban,” said Matt Holman, an AI and data lawyer at Cripps, in an email. “But regulators across the EU would need to agree before making that move official.”
For now, Apple and Google have not publicly responded to the request. CNBC has reached out to both companies and DeepSeek’s privacy team but has not received a reply.
This is not DeepSeek’s first clash with European regulators. Earlier this year, Italy ordered DeepSeek to block its app after the company refused to comply with an official data request. Ireland also launched a separate investigation into how the app processes user information.
Originally published on vcpost.com