In Milan on January 29th, the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek became inaccessible on Wednesday in the Apple and Google app stores in Italy following concerns raised by the country's data protection authority regarding the use of personal data.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland has also inquired about data processing concerning Irish users.
DeepSeek, which touts lower data usage and costs compared to current services, recently surpassed its U.S. competitor ChatGPT in downloads on Apple's App Store, causing unease among tech investors.
Italian data regulator Pasquale Stanzione expressed uncertainty about the app's removal, stating, The news of the withdrawal of the app was only a few hours ago, I cannot say whether it is due to us or not, as reported by the news agency ANSA.
Stanzione confirmed that their office will conduct a thorough investigation to ensure compliance with GDPR regulations, referring to European Union data protection laws.
The Italian regulator aims to clarify the data collection practices of DeepSeek, its sources, purposes, legal basis, and whether data is stored in China, providing the company with a 20-day deadline to respond.
Additionally, safeguards for underage users, bias avoidance, and prevention of electoral interference are being scrutinized by the regulator.
While currently unavailable in Italy on Apple and Google platforms, DeepSeek is still operational for Italian users who had previously installed the app and remains accessible in other EU countries and the UK.
In Germany, the government is keeping a close eye on AI applications for potential interference ahead of the national election on Feb. 23.
Italy's Garante has a strong record in monitoring AI usage and previously scrutinized ChatGPT over suspected EU privacy regulation violations.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland, known as the lead EU regulator for major U.S. internet companies, is not the designated EU headquarters for DeepSeek, despite its extensive operation in Ireland.