Meike Kamp, Berlin’s data protection commissioner, has alleged that DeepSeek’s transfer of German user data to China is “unlawful, according to a report by CNBC. A German data protection watchdog has asked Apple and Google to block the Chinese artificial intelligence service DeepSeek from their app stores, a report claims. The regulator has alleged that DeepSeek’s app illegally transmits user data to China. The company also offers its global chatbot AI app, which has been downloaded millions of times, drawing scrutiny. As per the report, experts suggest that if the German case against DeepSeek advances, it could potentially result in an EU-wide ban for the app.
DeepSeek gained attention earlier his year after launching an AI model that it claimed to have developed at a significantly lower cost than rival models, utilising less advanced Nvidia chips.
Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies are not allowed to transfer data outside the region unless appropriate safeguards are in place in the destination countries that align with GDPR standards.