The Chinese AI platform DeepSeek is no longer available for download on Google and Apple app stores in Italy. This comes after regulators in Rome started asking the company questions about how it handles citizens’ data.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has also reached out to DeepSeek, asking for details on how it handles data from Irish users.
Last week, DeepSeek rolled out a free AI assistant, claiming it processes data more efficiently and at a much lower cost than its competitors. By Monday (Jan. 27), it had already surpassed ChatGPT in downloads on Apple’s App Store, causing a stir among tech investors.
However, there’s growing concern over how the data collected by DeepSeek’s chatbot might be used by the Chinese government. In Italy, users noticed that the app had suddenly vanished from the Google and Apple stores. Those trying to access it got messages saying it was “currently not available in the country or area you are in” on Apple, while Google users saw a notice saying the download “was not supported,” according to Reuters.
Italy regulator’s concern over DeepSeek’s security and privacy
#IntelligenzaArtificiale Il #GarantePrivacy ha inviato una richiesta di informazioni alle due società che forniscono il servizio di chatbot #DeepSeek, sia su piattaforma web che su App 👉 https://t.co/8ZvxeFoEEV@GCerrinaFeroni @GHIGLIAAGOSTINO @guidoscorza
— Garante Privacy (@GPDP_IT) January 28, 2025
The Italian Data Protection Authority said in a statement (translated into English): “The Guarantor for the protection of personal data has sent a request for information to Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence and Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, the companies that provide the DeepSeek chatbot service, both on the web platform and on the App.”
Regulators are pressing DeepSeek and its affiliates for answers about how they handle personal data. They want to know exactly what data is being collected, where it’s coming from, why it’s being gathered, and on what legal grounds. There’s also concern over whether this data is stored on servers in China.
Officials are also digging into how DeepSeek’s AI is trained, specifically, what kind of information is being used. If personal data is being pulled through web scraping, they’re asking how both registered users and non-users are being informed about their data being processed.
They added: “Within 20 days, companies must provide the Authority with the requested information.”
According to China’s national intelligence law, all institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens “shall support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts, and protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.”
DeepSeek under scrutiny
In a further development, an OpenAI spokesperson told ReadWrite: “We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more. We take aggressive, proactive countermeasures to protect our technology and will continue working closely with the U.S. government to protect the most capable models being built here.”
While distillation does not expose model weights and is not a security breach, the company does not allow users to their proprietary models to develop any competing products.
ReadWrite has reached out to Google, Apple, and Ireland’s Data Protection Commission for comment.
Featured image: Canva / DeepSeek / ReadWrite