Germany Orders Google and Apple to Remove DeepSeek from Stores

German regulators ordered Google and Apple to remove DeepSeek from their app stores. The decision was made on growing concerns around the Chinese AI company’s data protection practices.

The country’s data protection commissioner, Meike Kamp, issued a statement outlining her request, claiming DeepSeek was illegally transferring German users’ personal data to China. Germany follows other countries in taking aim at DeepSeek after the AI startup made waves in the industry at the start of 2025.

Australia, Italy, and Taiwan have all issued a block of some kind on the service, while numerous private companies have restricted access to the AI platform. This week, US politicians also proposed a bill to block AI models from China from being used by government agencies.

The German data protection watchdog noted that DeepSeek stores data, including personal information and uploaded files on servers in its homeland, China. Kamp argued DeepSeek’s transfer of user data to China is unlawful, and the company had not been able to convince her office that German users’ data is protected to a level equivalent to that of the European Union.

“Chinese authorities have far-reaching access to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,” she continued. Kamp did not give Apple and Google a deadline, but the two companies will now be required to review the request and decide whether to block the app.