Dutch Authority Investigates DeepSeek for GDPR Violations
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has raised significant concerns regarding the privacy practices of the Chinese application DeepSeek. The AP is worried that users’ personal information may be transferred to China without proper consent or knowledge. This has prompted the authority to initiate a comprehensive investigation into DeepSeek’s data handling practices.
Aleid Wolfsen, the chairman of the AP, advised users to be cautious about sharing personal and sensitive data with DeepSeek. Wolfsen highlighted the importance of ensuring that personal data shared with companies outside the European Union complies with strict privacy regulations. He questioned whether DeepSeek and similar Chinese companies meet the necessary European data protection standards.
One of the major issues identified by the AP is the potential risk of unlawful data transfer. Users might inadvertently share third-party data, which could end up in China without proper authorization. This could have serious legal implications for users, as it may be considered an unlawful transfer of data.
The AP is collaborating with other European regulators to assess whether Chinese companies like DeepSeek adhere to European data protection requirements. In light of these concerns, the Italian regulator has already blocked DeepSeek due to similar privacy issues. The investigation aims to ensure that users have control over their personal data and are aware of how it is used.
