Popular AI chatbot DeepSeek can be deleted from app stores throughout the European Union following a request for its removal by Berlin’s data regulator due to severe privacy infringements.
Meike Kamp, Berlin’s Data Protection and Freedom of Information commissioner, directed on June 27 that her office is requesting that Google and Apple pull the DeepSeek app from their stores. The action follows the commissioner’s discovery of the Chinese AI firm in clear contravention of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
German Commissioner Escalates Standoff with DeepSeek Over “Unlawful” Data Transfers to China
This escalation comes after DeepSeek failed to acquiesce to an earlier request by Kamp’s office to voluntarily remove the app in Germany or modify its data handling to secure German users’ sensitive data.
The commissioner is worried about DeepSeek’s data transfer business to China, which she describes as “unlawful.” DeepSeek has not been able to provide adequate evidence that German users’ data receives adequate protection once in China, Kamp’s press release adds.
“Chinese authorities have broad rights of access to information on individuals held by Chinese companies,” Kamp explained. DeepSeek users in China do not enjoy the enforceable rights and effective legal remedy EU citizens have under European law, she added.
DeepSeek’s Data Collection Sparks EU Privacy Concerns, Potential Ban Looms
The extent of the collection of data is most unsettling. DeepSeek’s own website boasts that the company handles massive amounts of personal data such as all text typed, entire chat logs, attached documents, location information, device details, and network details. This blanket data collection has raised alarm bells among privacy rights activists.
Although the commissioner’s letter is not necessarily a cause for removal, it is a strong incentive for Google and Apple to act. The two companies will have to take the letter into account and determine what they will do, including blocking the app in Germany or, more likely, across the entire EU.
The potential blow is significant. DeepSeek has amassed more than 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store as of July 2025, so millions of users may end up looking for other AI apps if the removal proceeds.
Even if it is still on the market to buy somewhere else, users in the EU who are concerned about their right to privacy may prefer to delete it voluntarily. The extensive data-collecting practices described by the Berlin commissioner give the impression of an app that collects rather more personal data than many users may be aware of.
This situation reflects escalating strains between European data protection norms and Chinese technology companies. The EU’s GDPR is the world’s gold standard for data protection, and European regulators have been in no mood to show leniency towards non-compliant companies.
The DeepSeek Case or a Bellwether for AI Privacy in the EU?
The DeepSeek case also reflects more general concerns regarding AI applications and data privacy. As Kamp’s behavior illustrates, the combination of large-scale data collection and shipments to countries with varying standards on privacy gives rise to serious legal and practical problems.
It has to be mentioned that Chinese AI apps are not unique in raising privacy concerns. Many popular AI and social media applications have been criticized for similar reasons, with critics pointing out that most big technology companies collect huge volumes of user data.
It is now in the hands of Google and Apple. They will have to balance the commissioner’s legitimate privacy concerns with their business interests and users’ desire for AI services. Their decision will have significant precedent value regarding the treatment of AI apps from other jurisdictions in the EU market.
For consumers, the episode serves as a reminder to be mindful about what data they give to AI chatbots and where it may end up. As AI technology continues to evolve at a rapid rate, privacy safeguards are having difficulty keeping pace, so personal vigilance and attention are more crucial than ever.
The DeepSeek example may be the tip of an iceberg of a larger accounting of AI privacy norms in the digital age.
