GDPR and the Removal
The Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection has formally requested that Google and Apple remove the DeepSeek AI application from their app stores, citing violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Furthermore, the commissioner, Meike Kamp, alleges that DeepSeek’s owner, Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, based in Beijing, unlawfully collects data from German users and transfers it to servers in China for processing.
According to the GDPR—specifically Article 46 (1)—organizations must protect any personal data collected from individuals in the European Union in line with the regulation’s standards.
However, since China maintains lax data protection regulations and frequently issues excessive data access requests to private entities, the commissioner argues that DeepSeek has likely failed to implement the legal safeguards necessary to ensure EU-level security.
“The company operates without a branch in the European Union (EU),” explains the commissioner.
She adds, “The service reaches users in Germany, among other locations, via apps in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. These apps include German-language descriptions and function in the German language.”
Therefore, this distribution method subjects the service to the rules outlined in the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
DeepSeek
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI platform, rose to prominence in January 2025 following the release of the third generation of its chatbot, which featured extensive capabilities.
Despite the sudden rise in popularity, the platform quickly faced backlash due to serious cybersecurity issues that exposed insecure practices. Nevertheless, it continued to gain traction in the global AI community.
As of now, the DeepSeek AI app has reached 50 million downloads on Google Play, Android’s official app store, and has received thousands of ratings on Apple’s App Store.
Earlier this year, on May 6, Kamp requested that DeepSeek voluntarily remove its apps from German app stores. However, the company refused to comply.
Consequently, Berlin authorities invoked Article 16 of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which empowers them to report illegal content on digital platforms to the relevant operators—in this case, Apple and Google.
Now, the two tech giants must review the commissioner’s report and determine whether to remove DeepSeek AI from their stores.
Although a state-level regulator submitted the request rather than the German federal government, Kamp confirmed coordination with other regional regulators from Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bremen, as well as the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur).
Source: BleepingComputer, Bill Toulas
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