Chinese AI giant, DeepSeek’s application has been pulled from the Apple and Google App Stores in Italy. This unexpected move came shortly following requests for data handling information from Italian regulatory authorities.
The app, hitherto holding prime positions on download charts globally – including in the US, vanished from Italian digital shelves amidst concerns over its user data handling practices.
A consumer advocacy group, Euroconsumers, lodged a complaint with Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) flagging concerns over DeepSeek’s privacy policy, particularly, data storage on servers located within China.
DeepSeek’s privacy policy statement declares compliance with applicable data protection laws whenever personal data is propagated outside the user’s residential country. Consequently, Italian authorities demanded the said information, setting a response deadline of 20 days.
Although Italy’s DPA is the first to formally question DeepSeek’s privacy policies, several European watchdogs, without explicitly naming DeepSeek, have reminded all services of the imperative for compliance with the region’s AI and data protection rules.
However, comments from Google and Apple on the situation remain pending.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
