DeepSeek Faces Italian Block Over Privacy Concerns

The Italian data protection authority, Garante, ordered the blocking of DeepSeek's chatbot in Italy due to unresolved privacy policy issues. The Chinese AI startup's data handling practices are under scrutiny. Authorities in other European countries are following suit, posing challenges to DeepSeek's European operations.

Italy's data protection watchdog, the Garante, has issued an order to block DeepSeek's chatbot in response to unresolved concerns regarding the company's privacy policy compliance.

The regulator raised questions about DeepSeek's handling of personal data, seeking details on the data's sources, storage, legal basis for collection, and the involvement of servers in China. DeepSeek's response failed to satisfy the watchdog, prompting a block.

Authorities in France and Ireland are also investigating DeepSeek. The incident highlights the broader challenges Chinese AI firms face in navigating European data protection regulations.

(With inputs from agencies.)