By Hakan Ersen and Miranda Murray
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection, following a similar crackdown elsewhere.
Commissioner Meike Kamp said in a statement on Friday that she had made the request because DeepSeek illegally transfers users’ personal data to China.
The two U.S. tech giants must now review the request promptly and decide whether to block the app in Germany, she added, though her office has not set a precise timeframe.
Google said it had received the notice and was reviewing it.
DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment. Apple was not immediately available for comment.
According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous pieces of personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China.
“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.
“Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,” she added.
The commissioner said she took the decision after asking DeepSeek in May to meet the requirements for non-EU data transfers or else voluntarily withdraw its app. DeepSeek did not comply with this request, she added.
DeepSeek shook the technology world in January with claims that it had developed an AI model to rival those from U.S. firms such as ChatGPT creator OpenAI at much lower cost.
However, it has come under scrutiny in the United States and Europe for its data security policies.
Italy blocked it from app stores there earlier this year, citing a lack of information on its use of personal data, while the Netherlands has banned it on government devices.
Belgium has recommended government officials not to use DeepSeek. “Further analyses are underway to evaluate the approach to be followed,” a government spokesperson said.
In Spain, the consumer rights group OCU asked the government’s data protection agency in February to investigate threats likely posed by DeepSeek, though no ban has come into force.
The British government said “the use of DeepSeek remains a personal choice for members of the public.”
“We continue to monitor any national security threats to UK citizens and their data from all sources,” a spokesperson for Britain’s technology ministry said.
“If evidence of threats arises, we will not hesitate to take the appropriate steps to protect our national security.”
U.S. lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would ban U.S. executive agencies from using any AI models developed in China.
Reuters exclusively reported this week that DeepSeek is aiding China’s military and intelligence operations.
(Reporting by Hakan Ersen, Miranda Murray, Charlotte van Campenhout, David Latona; additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Mark Potter and Louise Heavens)
