EU Authorities Question DeepSeek’s GDPR Compliance
The emergence of DeepSeek in the European digital landscape has caught the attention of national data protection authorities, who are concerned about potential breaches of GDPR due to the transfer of EU personal data to China. Euractiv reached out to all data protection authorities (DPAs) in the EU to inquire about their plans to investigate DeepSeek’s handling of personal data. Out of the 16 DPAs that responded, seven indicated ongoing or upcoming requests for information and formal investigations.
Italy’s data protection authority was the first to take action, blocking the app on January 30th after requesting information from DeepSeek. The authority opposed the company’s claims that it was not operating in Italy and that EU law did not apply. Similarly, the Irish Data Protection Commission and the Croatian authority have requested information from DeepSeek. Belgium’s DPA initiated a formal investigation following a complaint from consumer organization TestAchat. Meanwhile, France’s CNIL confirmed it is analyzing DeepSeek’s tools, though no formal complaint has been lodged.
Luxembourg and Cyprus are considering possible actions, with Luxembourg raising concerns about GDPR compliance and potential data leakage. The Dutch DPA declined to comment but warned of serious privacy concerns. Greece plans to send an inquiry to DeepSeek, prompted by Privacy NGO Homo Digitalis. In Germany, DPAs are coordinating their actions, with Rhineland-Palatinate planning a formal investigation.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has not yet decided if DeepSeek will be on the agenda for its next meeting. Luxembourg is exploring cooperation with other DPAs within the EDPB framework. While some DPAs have not yet clarified their actions, others, like Portugal and Spain, have received complaints from consumer organizations. Several DPAs, including those from Austria, Denmark, and Finland, have not yet responded to Euractiv’s requests for comments, and DeepSeek has not provided any comments.
