DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that recently surged to the top of the Apple App Store charts in the U.S., has been removed from Apple and Google app stores in Italy amid privacy concerns and an ongoing GDPR investigation. The Italian data protection authority, Garante, is scrutinizing the app’s data collection practices, specifically whether user data is being stored in China.

Pasquale Stanzione, President of Garante, confirmed that DeepSeek has 20 days to respond to inquiries regarding the types of data it collects, its sources, and how the information is stored. If the company fails to comply, further actions could follow based on GDPR regulations.

Italy is not the only country investigating DeepSeek’s privacy policies. The Irish Data Protection Commission has also requested details on how the company processes user data from Irish citizens. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is looking into allegations that DeepSeek may have used proprietary data from American companies to train its AI models.

Despite the removal from app stores in Italy, users who previously downloaded DeepSeek can continue using the app without restrictions. The app remains available in other European countries, though additional regulatory actions could follow as investigations progress.

As global concerns over AI-driven data privacy grow, DeepSeek's future in Western markets may depend on its ability to comply with stringent data protection laws like the GDPR. The company’s response to regulators in the coming weeks could determine whether it faces further bans or restrictions.