Germany's data protection commissioner on Friday ordered Apple and Google to remove the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from their app stores, citing illegal data transfers to China and insufficient user privacy protections. The move represents the latest escalation in Europe's crackdown on the viral chatbot that has disrupted global AI markets since its January launch.
Commissioner Meike Kamp said she made the request because DeepSeek "illegally transfers users' personal data to China" without adequate safeguards. The two tech giants must now promptly review the order and decide whether to block the app in Germany.
Kamp's decision follows a May ultimatum to DeepSeek requiring the company to meet EU data transfer requirements or voluntarily withdraw its app12. When DeepSeek failed to comply, German authorities moved to force its removal under data protection laws.
"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 in a statement12. She added that "Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies."
According to DeepSeek's own privacy policy, the company stores user data including AI queries and uploaded files on servers in China12. DeepSeek, Apple, and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Germany joins a growing list of countries restricting DeepSeek over security concerns. Italy blocked the app from app stores earlier this year, citing insufficient information about personal data usage12. The Netherlands banned DeepSeek on government devices, with State Secretary Zsolt Szabo labeling it a "spy-prone application"3.
France and Ireland are also investigating whether the chatbot poses privacy risks4. U.S. lawmakers plan legislation banning federal agencies from using Chinese-developed AI models12.
DeepSeek emerged from relative obscurity in January when it released its R1 model, claiming to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT at a fraction of the development cost12. The Hangzhou-based company, owned by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, briefly topped Apple's App Store charts and triggered a massive sell-off in U.S. tech stocks23.
However, privacy experts have raised concerns about DeepSeek's extensive data collection practices and storage of all user information in China, where companies must share data with intelligence officials upon government request45. The company has also faced cyberattacks that exposed user data and API secrets6.
