Germany’s data protection authority has requested that the mobile app belonging to the Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek be removed from the App Store and Google Play Store on the grounds that it unauthorizedly transferred user data outside of Europe, particularly to China.

Germany wants DeepSeek to be removed

Authorities report that chat histories, uploaded files, location information and device details collected through the app are sent to servers in China without user consent. German authorities stated that this situation, which is against the European Union’s data protection regulations, poses a direct threat to user privacy.

Authorities, who argue that data collected within European borders in particular should be processed within these borders, claim that DeepSeek does not comply with these rules. It has been learned that official applications have been made to Apple and Google from the relevant store operators with the request that the app be blocked from access in the European market.

DeepSeek has recently become a topic of discussion not only in Europe but also on a global scale. In a previous statement, OpenAI described DeepSeek as “state-backed” and “state-controlled”; serious allegations that this company had unauthorized access to copyrighted content in its AI training.

It was alleged that the company had external access to advanced API systems in particular, and that this allowed it to train its own AI by pulling data from other companies’ models. Microsoft’s security research teams had also detected large-scale data leaks thought to belong to DeepSeek at the end of 2024.

It seems likely that this development will trigger similar sanctions in other European countries in the coming days. So what do you think about this issue? You can share your views with us in the comments section below.