Overview

• Germany’s data protection commissioner invoked the EU Digital Services Act to classify DeepSeek’s app as illegal content for transferring German user data to China without adequate safeguards.
• DeepSeek’s privacy policy shows it stores chat histories, uploaded files and other personal data on servers in China where authorities have broad access rights under national law.
• The Berlin commissioner has formally notified Apple and Google and expects both companies to conduct a timely review and decide whether to block DeepSeek from their German app stores.
• Legal experts warn that if other EU regulators follow Germany’s lead under GDPR rules, this action could pave the way for a bloc-wide ban on the AI app.
• DeepSeek already faces restrictions in Italy, the Netherlands and Australia, and US officials are weighing export controls and potential bans on Americans’ access to its services.