Italy's DeepSeek app, known for its AI-driven capabilities, has mysteriously vanished from Apple and Google app stores just days after the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) raised urgent questions about the company’s data handling practices. The disappearance of the app came on January 29, 2025, only one day after privacy regulators began investigating the tech company over its collection and storage of personal data, which is reportedly held on servers located in China.
DeepSeek, developed by the Chinese startup of the same name, saw its user base explode following the app's release earlier this month. According to TechCrunch, the app dominated download charts, quickly amassing over 1.9 million downloads on the Apple App Store and more than 5 million on Google Play within its first few weeks. It even surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the App Store, raising alarms among tech investors.
The Italian Garante’s inquiry stemmed from concerns articulated by the consumer advocacy group Euroconsumers, which filed complaints about DeepSeek's practices. The Garante issued its request for information on January 28, expressing its desire to know what specific personal data the app collects, where it sources this data, its intended purposes, and the legal frameworks supporting its data collection practices. "We would like to know what personal data is collected, from what sources, for what purposes, and on what legal basis, and is stored on servers in China," stated Pasquale Stanzione, head of Garante.
Within hours of this request, the app became inaccessible for new downloads, displaying messages such as 'Currently not available in your country or region' on the App Store and 'Download not supported' on Google Play. Stanzione commented, "Just a few hours after we asked DeepSeek for information, new downloads of the app were no longer possible in Italy. We don't know if this is the result of our inquiries." His office is now launching a detailed investigation to determine whether DeepSeek is adhering to EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
This isn't the first time Italy has taken action against tech companies over similar concerns. It previously temporarily banned ChatGPT last year due to privacy issues, becoming the first Western nation to do so. This tracks with a broader trend of increasing scrutiny on AI and data privacy throughout Europe, where regulatory bodies are putting strict measures on foreign tech companies, particularly those from China.
The reaction to DeepSeek's rapid rise hasn’t just been limited to Italy. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is also interested, having sent its own request to DeepSeek for similar information about its data practices concerning Irish users. According to industry experts, this scrutiny reflects growing fears over privacy, cybersecurity threats, and the ethical dimensions of AI technologies.
The potential data storage practices of DeepSeek have raised serious eyebrows. According to the app’s privacy policy, the company reserves the right to "collect and use your text or audio input, prompts, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, or other content for training purposes" and may share user data with government authorities at its discretion. These clauses have prompted considerable backlash from consumer protection advocates.
Compounding the situation, U.S. government officials are investigating the app's impact on national security, especially concerning the possible exploitation of vulnerabilities through foreign AI technologies. The U.S. Navy has already warned its personnel against using DeepSeek's services for any tasks, citing security concerns connected to using the app.
While DeepSeek's app has vanished from Italian app stores, it remains available for download elsewhere within the European Union and the UK. Some users previously installed the app can still access it, raising questions about user rights and data ownership. Developers are encouraged to explore more localized uses of the AI technology as they abide by local laws.
DeepSeek's swift ascendance raises palpable concerns among observers about the technological and ethical future of AI, particularly as competition between Eastern and Western tech companies intensifies. The current situation has not only shaken users’ confidence but also jeopardizes DeepSeek's burgeoning presence within the tech market, leading to falling stock prices among its rivals.
For now, the fate of DeepSeek rests on the investigations initiated by the Garante and other privacy authorities across Europe. How these regulatory bodies choose to respond could reshape the future of AI apps not only from DeepSeek but also for international tech collaborations and data privacy standards going forward.