DeepSeek privacy concerns raise international alarm bells

Privacy watchdogs probe Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s privacy protection measures, while security experts uncover vulnerabilities and data flows to TikTok parent ByteDance.

DeepSeek’s surprise superstardom has ignited a firestorm of data concerns globally, with regulators and privacy experts sounding alarms over the Chinese AI app’s potential national security risks.

Italy, the European Union’s third-largest economy, has taken the first step by banning DeepSeek after authorities demanded details on the app’s data practices. Italy’s privacy watchdog dismissed the Chinese startup’s data protection measures as “insufficient.”

The scrutiny isn’t stopping in the EU. South Korea’s regulators are gearing up to demand the same answers Italy sought, while Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has publicly warned residents to be cautious when using the app.

The controversy around DeepSeek’s privacy issues lands squarely within the rising regulatory pressure on Chinese tech firms. The US famously banned TikTok under national security pretexts, with President Donald Trump issuing an executive order to restore the social media app’s services within hours (for now).

Cointelegraph asked DeepSeek to clarify how it processes user data but did not receive a response