Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek cannot be accessed on Wednesday in Italy’s Apple and Google App Stores, which the country’s data protection agency requires it to use information about personal data.
The Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said it also provided information to DeepSeek about data processing related to Irish users.
DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant last week, which said a small percentage of the cost of using existing services. By Monday, the assistant replaced U.S. rival Chatgpt in the Apple App Store download, which caused panic among tech stock investors.
“The withdrawal message from the app was a few hours ago,” news agency ANSA quoted Pasquale Stanzione, the head of Pasquale Stanzione, the head of Italian data regulator Pasquale Stanzione, saying.
“Our office will conduct in-depth investigations to see if GDPR rules are respected,” ANSA said.
Italian regulator, known as Garante, said Tuesday it wanted to know what personal data was collected, from what sources, for what purposes, based on what laws and whether it was stored in China. It provided a 20-day response to DeepSeek and its affiliates.
Stanzio also said regulators are seeking to ensure that the app’s underage users are avoiding bias and avoiding election interference.
The notification presented to Italian customers on the Apple App Store says the app is “not currently available in your country or region”. A message on the Google App platform said that the download in Italy is “not supported”.
DeepSeek still appears to be operating for Italian users who have previously downloaded the app and can be downloaded and worked in other EU countries and the UK on Wednesday.
In Germany, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the government is monitoring applications for potential interventions for AI before the February 23 election.
“Of course, security authorities are concerned about the impact of AI applications and possible manipulations that may have on public opinion formation through AI applications, especially now, given the Bundestag election,” the spokesperson said.
The Italian Garante is one of the most active watchdogs in Europe. Two years ago, it briefly banned the use of Microsoft-backed Chatgpt instead of suspected violations of EU privacy rules.
The Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is the main regulator of most of the top internet companies in the United States because of their location in Ireland’s EU operations, but DeepSeek does not designate Ireland as its EU headquarters.
©Tech Word News
(This story has not been edited by Tech Word News’s staff and is automatically generated from the joint feed.)
