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Italy, Ireland remove DeepSeek AI chatbot from App Stores


The controversial Chinese AI chatbot, DeepSeek, was taken down from the app stores in Ireland and Italy.

ROME/DUBLIN: The controversial Chinese AI chatbot, DeepSeek, was taken down from the app stores in Ireland and Italy.

Authorities in the European countries raised alarm over the company’s lack of transparency regarding its data handling practices and the potential for Chinese government access to user information.

Read more: What is DeepSeek and why is it disrupting the AI sector?

In Italy, users attempting to download DeepSeek were met with notifications stating that it was ‘currently not  available in the country or the area you are in’. Google users received a similar message indicating that downloads were not supported.

Deepseek’s withdrawal follows its rapid ascent to become the most downloaded free app on Apple’s store in the United States and the United Kingdom after its launch.

The chatbot, which offers AI capabilities comparable to ChatGPT at a lower price point, has been linked to significant market fluctuations, including a staggering loss of over $1 trillion in the US stock market in a single day!

Italy’s data protection authority, Garante, issued a formal request for DeepSeek to clarify the types of personal data it collects, where the data is stored and whether any of it is kept in China.

The agency reportedly also initiated an  investigation to assess compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and given the Chinese AI firm a 20-day deadline to respond.

Read more: Microsoft, Meta back big AI spending despite DeepSeek’s low costs

Similarly, the Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has also launched an inquiry, seeking detailed information on how DeepSeek manages data related to Irish users. The investigation is focused on potential mishandling of user information and whether data is being transferred to China without adequate safeguards

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