Milan — On Thursday, Italy’s data protection agency took decisive action by prohibiting access to the AI application DeepSeek, originating from China, as a measure to safeguard user data. The agency has initiated an investigation targeting the firms responsible for the chatbot, emphasizing its commitment to data protection.

The Garante agency conveyed its dissatisfaction regarding the responses it received from DeepSeek concerning key queries about user data collection practices, storage, and the notification process for users. The authority underscored that the response from the companies claimed they do not operate within Italy and asserted that European regulations are not applicable to them. This assertion comes despite the significant global reach of the app, which has been downloaded millions of times in just a matter of days.

DeepSeek’s advanced chatbot technology has intensified competition within the realm of artificial intelligence, disrupting markets and rapidly gaining ground against established American AI leaders, all while offering its services at a significantly lower cost.