After the Italian data protection authority said it was seeking answers from DeepSeek on its use of personal data (what data is collected, from which sources, for what purposes, on what legal basis, and if it’s stored in China), the app has been removed from both Apple and Google app stores in the country.
Although it’s unclear if DeepSeek removed its app from the app stores or if Apple and Google did it, the app is now under scrutiny following its huge success. This all happened after DeepSeek revealed its new R1 reasoning model, which not only is as good as ChatGPT’s offering but has also been open-sourced and cost a fraction to build compared to its American competitors. However, this also led governments to question how the app collects users’ data.
Reuters reports that Italy and Ireland are also asking the same questions about DeepSeek data usage. In addition, the US Navy issued an order on Friday warning “shipmates” not to use DeepSeek AI “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns associated with the model’s origin and usage.” A spokesperson for the US Navy confirmed to CNBC that the email it reported on was genuine. The email was about the Department of the Navy’s Chief Information Officer’s generative AI policy.
The issue, of course, is how users’ data are stored. As reported by BGR, all your data, including your chats, are sent to China and stored on Chinese servers. While you can run a more private model locally on your desktop, it won’t be as good as the one connected to the internet on your iPhone or Android.
That said, this is everything the company collects from users:
Profile information. We collect information that you provide when you set up an account, such as your date of birth (where applicable), username, email address and/or telephone number, and password.
User Input. When you use our Services, we may collect your text or audio input, prompt, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, or other content that you provide to our model and Services.
Information When You Contact Us. When you contact us, we collect the information you send us, such as proof of identity or age, feedback or inquiries about your use of the Service or information about possible violations of our Terms of Service (our “Terms”) or other policies.
The startup also collects information automatically, including information about how you access DeepSeek and what devices you use. It even collects “keystroke patterns or rhythms.” If you access it from multiple devices, it’ll associate them under your account. There’s also usage information, cookies, and payment information.
This raised questions such as: If ChatGPT isn’t available in China, should the US ban DeepSeek? With OpenAI claiming it has evidence that DeepSeek used ChatGPT to train its AI, it’s possible that more sanctions come in the near future to the app of the moment.
Besides that, there’s another reason not to use DeepSeek AI. BGR will keep reporting the latest developments of the DeepSeek story and whether Apple and Google removed it from their app stores.
