Germany Urges Removal of Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Over Data Concerns

Germany's data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp, has urged tech giants Apple and Google to expunge Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores, citing significant data protection concerns. This plea follows a parallel trend across other regions, reflecting a mounting unease over data privacy issues linked to the startup.

Kamp announced on Friday that her call to action resulted from DeepSeek's purported illicit transfer of users' personal data to China. While both tech companies have acknowledged the request, they are yet to resolve whether to enforce the app's blockage in Germany; no deadline for this decision has been stipulated.

DeepSeek has not addressed requests for comment, while Apple's response remains unprompted. Notably, DeepSeek gained prominence earlier this year when it claimed to rival top U.S. AI models at a lower cost, but its security measures have invited scrutiny across Europe and the U.S.

(With inputs from agencies.)