A German protection watchdog has requested that Google and Apple remove Chinese AI service DeepSeek from their app stores.
The German watchdog claims DeepSeek's app illegally sends user data to China, a move Berlin's data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp said is unlawful.
Both United States companies must now review the request and decide whether to block the app in Germany. Kamp said her office had not set a precise timeframe.
Google said it received the notice and was reviewing it.
The DeepSeek privacy policy states that it stores numerous pieces of personal data like requests for its AI program or uploaded files on computers in China.
"DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users' data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union," Kamp said.
"Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies.”
DeepSeek has already received numerous complaints across the U.S. and Europe due to security concerns.
Italy blocked it from app stores earlier this year and the Netherlands banned it from government devices.
Belgium has recommended against the app's use with further investigations underway.
In Spain, the consumer rights group OCU asked the government's data protection agency in February to investigate threats likely posed by DeepSeek, though no ban has come into force.
The British government has left DeepSeek use up to personal choice for the public.
"We continue to monitor any national security threats to UK citizens and their data from all sources," a spokesperson for Britain's technology ministry said.
"If evidence of threats arises, we will not hesitate to take the appropriate steps to protect our national security."
The U.S. plans to introduce a bill that would ban U.S. executive agencies from using any AI model developed in China.
