Berlin Regulator Orders Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek

Chinese-Made AI App Faces European Privacy Pushback Akshaya Asokan (asokan_akshaya) • June 27, 2025

A German data regulator on Friday ordered Apple and Google to remove the Chinese artificial intelligence DeepSeek app from online stores over non-compliance with European privacy and digital service rules.

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The Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information classified the Chinese application as "illegal content."

"Chinese authorities have far-reaching rights to access personal data," Berlin Data Protection Commissioner Meike Kamp said. "DeepSeek users don't have enforceable rights and effective legal remedies available to them in China, like they're guaranteed in the European Union," he said, according to machine translation of remarks made in German.

The Berlin regulator acted after DeepSeek parent company Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence ignored a request to stop data transfer to China or self-remove the app from the platforms ...