Authority has concerns

China AI DeepSeek no longer available in Italy

DeepSeek relies on open source models and the data is stored on servers in the one-party dictatorship of China.(Bild: AFP/AFP or licensors)

Italian smartphone users can no longer download the new artificial intelligence (AI) from DeepSeek for the time being. In the app stores of iPhone provider Apple and Google, notices have been displayed informing users that DeepSeek is not accessible. The program was still available in other European countries.

The Italian data protection authority has requested information from the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek about the use of user data. The authority wants to know what personal data is collected, from what sources, for what purposes and on what legal basis, and whether it is stored in China.

DeepSeek and its affiliated companies have 20 days to answer these questions, the authority said in a statement on Tuesday. This is one of the first measures taken by the supervisory authority against the Chinese start-up.

Use of ChatGPT was also briefly banned in 2023
Italy's data protection authority is one of the most active watchdogs in Europe when it comes to the use of AI. In 2023, it briefly banned the use of ChatGPT, which is supported by Microsoft, in Italy due to suspected violations of EU data protection regulations.

DeepSeek was founded in 2023 by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng. DeepSeek relies on open source models and the data is stored on servers in the one-party dictatorship of China. Information that is not acceptable to the Chinese government, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre that left tens of people dead, is suppressed by the chatbot.