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Apple, Google ordered to remove Deepseek app by German privacy regulator over data concerns

Sat Jun 28 2025
Julie Young (632 articles)
Apple, Google ordered to remove Deepseek app by German privacy regulator over data concerns

Germany has instructed Apple and Google to eliminate the Deepseek application due to concerns regarding data privacy. A leading German privacy regulator has issued a warning to Apple Inc. and Google regarding the Chinese AI service DeepSeek, which is accessible through their app stores. The regulator asserts that this service constitutes illegal content due to its potential to expose users’ data to Chinese authorities.

The official announcement follows DeepSeek’s failure to comply with a May request to either remove its application from app stores in Germany or implement measures to protect local users’ data during its transmission to China, as stated by Berlin’s data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp, on Friday.  “Chinese authorities possess extensive rights to access personal data,” Kamp stated. “DeepSeek users lack enforceable rights and effective legal remedies in China, which are guaranteed in the European Union.”

In January, DeepSeek, a startup based in Hangzhou, made waves in the global technology sector with the introduction of its R1 large language model. The company asserted that this model could compete with significantly larger systems from the United States while operating at a considerably lower cost. Mobile exports experienced a remarkable growth of 74% in May, achieving the second-highest figures on record. In response to the Chinese app’s disregard for compliance requests, the Berlin agency activated a provision of the EU’s Digital Services Act, thereby placing the responsibility on technology platforms such as Apple and Google to eliminate illegal content from their services.

According to Kamp, both parties are required to promptly examine the notice and determine their course of compliance. Although the regulator had the option to impose a fine on DeepSeek, Kamp opted not to pursue this course of action, as enforcing such a penalty in China would prove unfeasible. “We received the notice and are currently reviewing it,” stated a spokesperson for Google in an emailed communication. Apple refrained from providing a comment. DeepSeek has not yet provided a response to inquiries sent via email.

The action taken by Germany mirrors a previous decision made by Italy’s privacy regulator in January. In the United States, officials have determined that DeepSeek has provided assistance to the Chinese military and intelligence operations and is anticipated to continue this support, as stated by an American official. Legislators in Washington are advancing bipartisan measures aimed at prohibiting federal government agencies from utilizing DeepSeek and other artificial intelligence tools sourced from foreign adversaries.

Julie Young

Julie Young

Julie Young is a Senior Market Reporter and Analyst. She has been covering stock markets for many years.

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