The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Germany, Meike Kamp, formally requested on Friday that Apple and Google remove the DeepSeek app, developed by a Chinese AI company, from the App Store and Google Play in Germany. The request was made because the company failed to prove compliance with EU data protection standards and is suspected of illegally transferring personal data of German users to China.

Kamp stated, "DeepSeek has not provided convincing evidence to demonstrate that its data handling in China meets the protection level equivalent to the EU." She emphasized that Chinese authorities have broad access rights to personal data held by enterprises under their influence.

According to DeepSeek's privacy policy, the app stores various personal information, including user AI requests and uploaded files, on servers located in China. German regulators had previously demanded that DeepSeek comply with EU regulations on cross-border data transfer or voluntarily remove the app. However, as DeepSeek did not respond, Kamp initiated the formal removal process. Google has confirmed receipt of the notification and is currently reviewing it, but Apple has not made any public response yet.

Kamp urged Apple and Google to swiftly assess the removal request, though no specific response timeline was set. Other European countries are also closely monitoring the security concerns regarding DeepSeek. Earlier this year, Italy removed the DeepSeek app from its app store due to lack of transparency regarding user data usage, while the Netherlands banned its installation on government devices.

DeepSeek announced in January 2025 that it developed a large language model competitive with OpenAI's ChatGPT, but this has quickly led to security reviews in Europe and the US amid allegations of ties to the Chinese military and intelligence agencies.