TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-300×168.jpg 300w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-768×430.jpg 768w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-1536×860.jpg 1536w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-800×448.jpg 800w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-1160×649.jpg 1160w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal-600×336.jpg 600w, https://TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/china-deepseek-ai-featured-the-tech-portal.jpg 2048w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>DeepSeek, the low cost Chinese alternative to US-based AI models, is now facing its first ban after making headlines worldwide recently. Italian data protection authority ‘Garante’, has reportedly blocked the two-year-old Hangzhou-based startup DeepSeek‘s artificial intelligence model. According to a report by Reuters, the ban means that users can no longer access the DeepSeek app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the country since Wednesday (January 29).
Regulators are citing concerns over users’ data security, as they reportedly did not find enough information about how the company is using personal data. Therefore, the regulator has requested detailed information and clarity regarding these concerns. DeepSeek has been given 20 days to respond.
However, users in Italy who have already downloaded the app are still able to use it without any issues. Additionally, there is no effect on app downloads and usage in other European Union countries and the UK. In the meantime, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has also requested details about DeepSeek’s data processing system.
Speaking of the current status, according to the report, if anyone in Italy searches for DeepSeek on Apple’s App Store, a message appears stating that ‘the app [DeepSeek] is currently not available in the country or area.’ The same message appears on Google’s Play Store, which indicates that the download is ‘not supported’ in Italy.
Garante actually wants clarity on the type of information this Chinese AI company is collecting from its users while providing the service. Additionally, the regulator wants to know the source of the data collection, its purpose, and most importantly, whether the company is storing the data in China or outside the country.
This isn’t the first time the Italian data protection regulator has shown strictness with an AI company. Earlier in March 2023, the Garante imposed a temporary ban on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In fact, the agency fined ChatGPT maker OpenAI 15 million euros ($15.58 million) for breaching ChatGPT’s privacy rules.
DeepSeek turned the tech world upside down when it launched a free AI assistant last week, which gained rapid popularity. The firm developed a highly competitive AI model — which in some cases even outperformed the likes of GPT and others — at less than a fraction of the cost incurred by US startups such as OpenAI and others.
It’s app secured the top spot on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store in the United States. Since its launch in mid-January, estimates suggest that the DeepSeek app has been downloaded over 1.2 million times on the Play Store and more than 1.9 million times on the App Store globally. DeepSeek released its DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 models. Even, its DeepSeek-R1 model is said to be 20 to 50 times more cost-efficient than similar offerings from industry giants.
Content originally published on The Tech Media – Global technology news, latest gadget news and breaking tech news.
