Chinese chatbot DeepSeek blocked in Italy

Chinese chatbot DeepSeek blocked in Italy

Kyiv  •  UNN

 • 29674 views

The Italian regulator Garante blocked access to the Chinese AI application DeepSeek due to the threat to personal data. The company refused to provide information on the use of data, claiming that it does not operate in Italy.

DeepSeek, a Chinese application based on artificial intelligence, has been blocked in Italy due to the threat of personal data. This was announced on January 30 by the local regulator Garante, UNN reports.

Details

According to Garante representatives, the restrictions were introduced to protect the data of Italian users.

It is noted that Italy has sent a request to DeepSeek to obtain information on how the app uses users' personal data: what data is collected, why, and whether it is stored in China. 

Chinese AI app DeepSeek outperforms ChatGPT in the US App Store ranking27.01.25, 09:53 • 25878 views

DeepSeek responded to the request by stating that it does not operate in Italy and that European law does not apply to it. The regulator recognized this response as "completely insufficient." 

The emergency order to block DeepSeek took effect immediately. The app has already disappeared from digital stores for Italian users. At the same time, the web version of the chatbot is still available.

Recall

Microsoft has detected suspicious activity regarding the OpenAI API by Chinese startup DeepSeek. The companies are investigating the possible unauthorized use of data for the development of a competitive AI model R1.

DeepSeek hype: what you should know about the app and whether it is safe29.01.25, 11:08 • 124735 views