The Deepseek app has been shut down in Italy following an inquiry by the country’s data protection authority, Garante, regarding the use of personal data. The regulator sought information on what types of personal data the app collects, where it is sourced from, for what purpose, and under what legal basis it is processed. Additionally, Garante inquired whether the collected data is stored in China, according to a report by Reuters.
The regulatory body stated that the information provided by Chinese companies supplying Deepseek’s chatbot service was deemed highly inadequate. As a result, Garante took immediate action to protect users’ personal data. Along with the suspension of the app, the authority has also launched a formal investigation.
Deepseek has not commented on the issue.
Notably, the Chinese AI assistant was recently launched, promising low data usage and offering cost-effective services. It surpassed ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store, raising concerns among technology investors.
