DeepSeek under fire as Italian data protection authority investigates potential privacy concerns
DeepSeek under fire as Italian data protection authority investigates potential privacy concerns
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Viral artificial intelligence (AI) sensation DeepSeek has sparked criticism from Italian authorities over the way it handles and processes user data. The Italian data protection authority, GPDP, has demanded DeepSeek supply information on its handling of Italians’ user data.
This includes the type of data collected, how it is stored and whether that data is stored on Chinese servers. It is out to ensure compliance with the EU’s GDPR rules. Australia’s government has also advised caution over the use of DeepSeek AI. “We would urge Australians to be cautious about this new technology,” Jim Chalmers, Australia’s Treasurer, said during a press conference this week.
Other tech companies have fallen foul of Italian regulators in recent years, including DeepSeek rival OpenAI. OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot was banned in Italy on March 31, 2023, after the regulator accused the AI company of “unlawful collection of personal data”.
ChatGPT was offline in Italy for around a month, returning at the end of April 2023, with Open AI having made changes for Italian users to bring it in line with regulations. DeepSeek has been given a deadline of February 17 to reply to the regulatory body’s concerns.
The sudden success of DeepSeek, whose AI apps are currently the most popular on Google Play and the iPhone’s App Store, has caused understandable questions about the company’s privacy policies. It was also affected by a “large-scale" cyberattack shortly after it came to prominence, causing DeepSeek to briefly limit user registrations. The origin and wider effects of the attack are not yet known, but Chinese state media unsurprisingly blames the US for the DDoS action, which barely seemed to put a dent in the viral interest in DeepSeek’s AI apps and models.
