DeepSeek under fire: Germany tells Apple and Google to ban app over data transfers to China

Just a few months after it sent shockwaves through the tech industry with its low-cost AI model, Chinese startup DeepSeek is now under scrutiny in Europe. German authorities are calling out the company over privacy concerns and pushing Google and Apple to remove its app from their platforms.

Berlin’s data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp, said Friday that DeepSeek is unlawfully sending user data from Germany to China. She also confirmed that her office has contacted Apple and Google, urging both to review whether the app should be allowed to remain in their stores, CNBC reported on Friday

“DeepSeek has not been able to convincingly demonstrate to my authority that the data of German users is protected in China at a level equivalent to that of the European Union,” Kamp said in a statement. “Chinese authorities have extensive access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies.”

Under EU law, companies must have proper safeguards in place before sending user data outside the bloc. Without those in place, the transfer is considered illegal under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Germany Targets DeepSeek: Privacy Violation or Fear of Chinese AI Dominance?

The timing of Germany’s move has raised eyebrows. Is this really about protecting user privacy, or is Europe sounding an early alarm over China’s accelerating progress in AI?

Earlier this year, American tech CEOs voiced their concerns. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, several executives pointed to China’s rapid AI advancements as a serious geopolitical challenge. DeepSeek came up repeatedly in those discussions, with leaders warning that Beijing-backed innovation could reshape global tech dominance.

“If the United States can’t lead in this technology, we’re going to be in a very bad place geopolitically,” one CEO said. The comment underscores how AI leadership is no longer just about business — it’s becoming a proxy for national power and influence.

DeepSeek, which has no direct contact channels listed on its site, grabbed headlines earlier this year after launching an AI model built on older Nvidia chips at a fraction of the cost of what competitors were spending. It also launched a global chatbot app, which has since garnered millions of downloads, along with growing scrutiny from regulators.

The buzz around DeepSeek grew in February following reports that its V3 model had outperformed Meta’s Llama 3.1, OpenAI’s GPT-4o, and Alibaba’s Qwen 2.5 on third-party benchmarks—all at a significantly lower cost.

If Germany’s case against DeepSeek gains traction, it could lead to broader consequences. “It is certainly possible that this incident could lead to an EU-wide ban because the rules that apply in Germany are the same elsewhere in the EU and also in the UK,” said Matt Holman, an AI and data lawyer at Cripps. Still, a wider ban would require alignment among regulators across multiple countries.

The Berlin watchdog said it expects a “timely review” from both tech giants. If Apple and Google decide to pull the app, that could amount to a de facto ban across the entire EU.

“The implications for DeepSeek could be, unsurprisingly, quite stark,” Holman added. “Access to German citizens’ data will be curtailed. In short order this could expand to the remainder of the EU if other national regulators follow suit, meaning EU — and potentially UK — markets will be curtailed if Apple and Google disable the app.”

This isn’t DeepSeek’s first run-in with European regulators. In February, Italy ordered the app blocked nationwide. Ireland also contacted the company back in January, requesting information about its data practices.

What started as a breakout moment for a lean Chinese AI contender could now end up as a cautionary tale about data privacy and cross-border trust.