Deepseek faces ban in Germany as privacy watchdog reports the app to Google and Apple as "illegal content"

• Germany is calling on Apple and Google to block the DeepSeek app from the country's official app stores
• The Berlin Data Protection Commissioner has deemed the Chinese AI chatbot "unlawful" over alleged privacy violations
• Italy banned DeepSeek from official app stores in January over similar concerns

DeepSeek could soon disappear from Apple and Google's official app stores in Germany as data protection officials accuse the Chinese chatbot of alleged privacy violations.

"DeepSeek's transfer of user data to China is unlawful," said Berlin Data Protection Commissioner Meike Kamp, in an official announcement dated June 27, 2025. Kamp has called on the Big Tech giant to consider blocking the app in the country.

Another EU member, Italy, already banned Deepseek from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in January 2025 over similar grounds. The block was enforced about a week after the release of the ChatGPT rival ...