Germany has formally requested that Apple and Google remove the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from their app stores, citing serious concerns about the transfer of user data to servers in China. The country’s top data privacy authority warned that the app fails to meet European Union data protection standards.
Meike Kamp, Berlin’s federal commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, said her office asked DeepSeek to comply with EU data transfer rules or exit the market. The company did neither. As a result, the app was reported to Apple and Google as violating German 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 statement issued Friday.
A Broader Pattern of Global Scrutiny
DeepSeek’s privacy practices have triggered action in multiple countries. Italy and South Korea removed the app from their stores. The Netherlands banned it from government devices. Belgium and Spain raised similar alarms, with Spain’s leading consumer group calling for a formal probe.
The core concern lies in DeepSeek’s storage of user data including prompts and uploaded files on servers in China. Under Chinese national intelligence laws, authorities can access that data without oversight, raising red flags for foreign regulators.
Reuters reported that Germany’s move follows revelations that DeepSeek may be aiding China’s military and intelligence services. The same report noted the app’s claim of rivaling top Western AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but at significantly lower cost.
In the U.S., lawmakers are working on legislation to restrict federal use of AI systems developed in China. Some officials have gone as far as to propose criminal penalties for using tools that could expose sensitive data to foreign governments.
App vs. Open Models
While DeepSeek has released local, open-source models that can be independently modified, the app and website operate entirely under the control of the company’s servers in China. That hosted structure leaves little room for privacy assurances, especially when user data never leaves China’s jurisdiction.
According to the Reuters report, DeepSeek was flagged as “illegal content” in Germany. Google confirmed it is reviewing the request. Apple has not responded to inquiries.
Germany’s request adds to growing international pressure on tech platforms to assess the privacy risks of hosting Chinese-developed AI tools. For now, the final decision rests with Apple and Google.
