Germany’s data protection chief has requested that Apple and Google take down the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country, citing data protection concerns, similar to actions taken in other places.

On Friday, Commissioner Meike Kamp stated that she made the request due to DeepSeek’s illegal transfer of users’ personal data to China.

The two big tech companies in the U.S. need to quickly look over the request and figure out if they should ban the app in Germany, she mentioned, but her office hasn’t given a specific deadline.

DeepSeek didn’t get back to us for a comment. Apple and Google weren’t available for comment right away.

As per its privacy policy, DeepSeek keeps a lot of personal data, including requests to its AI program and uploaded files, on computers located in China.

Kamp mentioned, “DeepSeek hasn’t shown my agency any solid proof that the data of German users is safeguarded in China at a level that’s on par with what we have in the European Union”.

“Chinese officials have extensive access to personal data related to Chinese companies”, she mentioned.

The commissioner explained that she made this choice after requesting DeepSeek in May to either meet the standards for non-EU data transfers or voluntarily pull its app. DeepSeek failed to meet this demand.

In January, DeepSeek made waves in the tech industry by asserting it had created an AI model that could compete with those from U.S. companies like OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, but at a significantly lower cost.

It has faced criticism in the U.S. and Europe regarding its data security practices.

Earlier this year, Italy removed it from app stores, pointing to insufficient details about how it handles personal data, and the Netherlands has prohibited its use on government devices.

In Spain, the consumer rights organization OCU requested the government’s data protection agency in February to look into potential threats from DeepSeek, but no ban has been implemented yet.

U.S. legislators intend to propose a bill that would prohibit U.S. executive agencies from utilizing any AI models created in China.

Reuters reported exclusively this week that DeepSeek is supporting China’s military and intelligence activities.

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