Berlin DPA: Google and Apple Should Review DeepSeek Apps or Face Ban
Google and Apple should block chatbot DeepSeek from their platforms because it's illegally transferring user data to China, Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Meike Kamp said Friday.
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DeepSeek lacks an EU branch, the watchdog noted. Its service is offered to Europeans through apps in Google Play Store and Apple App Store that have a German-language description and can be used in Germany. For that reason, the service is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
DeepSeek acknowledges its service processes extensive personal data from users and sends it to Chinese processors for storage on Chinese servers, the regulator said. Under the GDPR, the EU's data-protection standards must be maintained when personal data is transmitted to other countries. This requires either an adequacy decision from the EU or additional protective measures, known as suitable guarantees, it said. There's no EU adequacy decision for China.
"The transfer of user data by DeepSeek to China is illegal," said Kamp. DeepSeek hasn't shown convincingly that German users' data is protected in China at a level equivalent to that of the EU, she added. Therefore, "I have informed Google and Apple, the operators of the largest app platforms, about the violation and expect a timely review of a potential ban."
The commissioner ordered DeepSeek in May to remove its apps from the app stores in Germany, cease unlawful data transfers to China, or meet the legal requirements for lawful third-country transfers, the office said. When the company didn't comply, the commissioner reported the unlawful content to the platforms, the watchdog added.
The European Commission said in February that it wasn't acting on DeepSeek concerns but that data protection authorities such as French watchdog CNIL and Italian regulator Garante were (see 2502030001).