Berlin, June 27 — Germany’s data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp, has demanded that Apple and Google remove the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s app from their German stores over alleged data security risks.
Kamp accused DeepSeek of illegally transferring users’ personal data to the Chinese mainland and urged both tech giants to review and block the app, though she set no firm deadline. Google confirmed it is evaluating the notice; Apple has not yet responded.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on February 6 that "the Chinese government attaches great importance to and legally protects data privacy and security, and has never and will never require enterprises or individuals to collect or store data illegally." On March 18, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning condemned the over-generalization of national security concepts and the politicization of economic and technological issues, pledging to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese enterprises.
On the regulatory front, in July 2023 the Cyberspace Administration of China and six other departments rolled out the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services. The rules mandate that AI providers legally protect user inputs, avoid collecting unnecessary personal information, refrain from retaining identifiable usage records and prohibit unlawful sharing with third parties.
The Beijing Artificial Intelligence Data Training Base—the country’s first—also addresses data security with a “regulatory sandbox” approach. It enforces notice-and-takedown procedures, risk-compensation frameworks and robust technical safeguards for data storage, processing and transmission. To date, the base has introduced over 100 high-quality datasets from healthcare, government and autonomous driving sectors, helping AI startups train models within a compliant environment.
As AI innovation accelerates globally, the standoff between Germany’s privacy-driven ban on DeepSeek and China’s comprehensive data protection framework underscores a broader debate on cross-border data governance. For tech entrepreneurs, policymakers and young global citizens, the DeepSeek saga highlights the critical need for clear rules and mutual trust in an interconnected digital era.
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Germany seeks DeepSeek ban: China's AI data protection in contrast
cgtn.com
