DeepSeek is not accessible in Italy.What are the reasons for banning the Chinese AI application?

A major concern with DeepSeek's AI chatbot app is that user data is stored on servers located in China.If you're searching for DeepSeek's AI chatbot app on Apple's App Store or Google Play Store in Italy, you likely won't come across it.

A report by TechCrunch reveals that the DeepSeek AI chatbot app, which operates on its proprietary AI models such as V3 and R1, has been taken down from app stores in Italy. The action was prompted by an inquiry by the country's privacy watchdog regarding the data collection and storage practices of the Chinese AI startup.

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The Italian data protection authority has opened an investigation following the consumer group Euroconsumers' complaint against the handling of personal data by DeepSeek. According to reports, the company is being given nearly 20 days to respond.

As for other European Union privacy regulators, they are saying that all companies have to adhere to the region's laws and regulations when it comes to AI and data protection.

Despite its rapid rise in app store rankings across multiple countries, the mobile app has faced growing concerns from users about data privacy, cybersecurity, disinformation, and other related issues.

Concerns that DeepSeek has an advantage over others by learning from U.S. AI models have fueled efforts to limit its services. OpenAI told the BBC that foreign companies often try to replicate leading U.S. AI models, and there is a need for government cooperation to protect advanced technology. Meanwhile, U.S. officials are also evaluating the national security risks posed by the app.

Users who have concerns about privacy risks might want to use its open-source model on their local devices to be in control of their data. For others without such capabilities, the chatbot can also be accessed through platforms like Perplexity.

CEO of Perplexity, Aravind Srinivas said that the model is hosted in data centers in the U.S. and the EU, not China, and insisted it has no censorship limits.

On the other hand, the issue of DeepSeek's innovation being somehow affected by competitor companies such as ChatGPT continues to raise alarms in the U.S. amongst private companies, along with officials, since such practices are difficult to prevent.