Germany has called on Apple and Google to consider blocking the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from their stores due to violations of personal data protection laws, CNBC writes.
As Berlin's privacy commissioner Maike Kamp stated, the service illegally transfers user data from Germany to China, without providing a level of protection that meets EU standards.
Kamp noted that the company has failed to provide convincing evidence that user data in China will be securely protected. This is a major problem, as Chinese law allows local authorities broad access to personal information collected by Chinese companies.
Under GDPR rules, companies are prohibited from transferring personal data outside the European Union unless the receiving country guarantees an equivalent level of protection. In this regard, the German regulator warned Apple and Google about the violation and called for a prompt review of DeepSeek's presence in stores.
Lawyers point out that if both tech giants block the app, it could actually make it unavailable throughout the EU.
By the way, this is not the first attempt by European countries to restrict DeepSeek. Previously, Italy officially banned the application, and Ireland began an investigation into data processing.
DeepSeek Labs rose to prominence after launching its own low-cost AI model and a global app with millions of downloads. However, the company's success has come under increasing regulatory pressure around the world.