Overview

• Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider formally asked Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek from German app stores, citing violations of the EU’s GDPR.
• She argued that China’s data protection standards fall short of EU requirements, making transfers of user data to China highly critical.
• Her action builds on a June complaint by Berlin’s data protection commissioner, who flagged DeepSeek as illegal content under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
• Data authorities in South Korea, Italy, Taiwan, Australia and the Czech Republic have restricted or banned the AI app, and several U.S. federal agencies have prohibited its use.
• DeepSeek remains accessible via direct downloads outside official stores, driving debate over balancing rapid AI innovation with robust data-protection rules.