Italy Bans DeepSeek AI App “`

Italy’s data protection authority has banned the Chinese AI app DeepSeek due to inadequate information regarding its personal data handling practices.

Italy led the way in prohibiting the Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, after its data protection agency, Garante, took action on Thursday. The ban stems from concerns about how the app manages user data.

Developed by Hangzhou-based DeepSeek Inc., the AI assistant launched last week and quickly gained popularity, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the top AI assistant on Apple’s App Store.

Garante’s request for detailed information on the app’s data usage—including data collected, sources, purposes, legal basis, and storage location (including whether data is stored in China)—prompted the removal.

Following a complaint by Euroconsumers, a consumer rights organization, Garante requested this information, giving DeepSeek a 20-day response deadline.

However, Garante deemed DeepSeek’s initial response “totally insufficient.”

“Contrary to the authority’s findings, the companies declared that they do not operate in Italy, and that European legislation does not apply to them,” the statement read, highlighting the app’s millions of global downloads in just days.

The regulator stated the ban took “immediate effect” and that an investigation was underway as “the data of millions of Italians is at risk.”

Italy isn’t alone in its concerns. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission also contacted DeepSeek about Irish user data, and South Korea’s privacy watchdog plans a similar inquiry.

The US Navy has advised its personnel against using the app, citing ethical and security concerns.

DeepSeek’s chatbot has intensified competition in the AI market, causing significant losses for companies like Nvidia earlier this week. Investors fear DeepSeek’s cost-effective solutions could disrupt market leaders.

The new AI assistant has rapidly narrowed the gap with leading US generative AI, reportedly matching performance on key metrics at a significantly lower cost.