Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, has ordered a Chinese artificial intelligence startup to block its chatbot in the country due to concerns over its privacy policy. The regulator had questioned the company about its use of personal data, but received insufficient information.
The watchdog stated that it had “immediate effect” and opened an investigation into the matter. Data regulators in Ireland and France are also examining the chatbot’s policies. Despite being removed from Italian app stores, some users still access the service through the web version.
Ghiglia, a member of the Garante’s board, said DeepSeek’s response worsened its position and that it has no obligation to provide information to local regulators. He added that citizens have the right to give their consent based on what is done with their data and that servers in China do not offer the same guarantees as Europe.
This decision highlights Italy’s proactive approach to using AI, which briefly banned Microsoft-backed ChatGPT over suspected breaches of EU privacy rules two years ago.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/italys-privacy-watchdog-blocks-chinese-ai-app-deepseek-2025-01-30