Deepseek would have disappeared from the Apple App Store of Italy and the Google Play Store, with the disappearance starting on Wednesday January 29, 2025.
The block came a day after the country’s data guard dog, the guarantor, has filed a complaint in terms of confidentiality asking for clarification on how the chatgpt rivals the personal data of users.
Italian users iPhone and Android have confirmed to Techradar that the new AI chatbot is not available in application stores to download (see image below).
The Deepseek website remains available across the country for the moment. Italians can also use their Deepseek application if they had already downloaded it before the entry into force of the block.
At the time of writing this document, no official explanation on the Italian Deepseek block was shared.
“I do not know if it is linked to us or not, we have asked for information. The company now has 20 days to answer,” said Pasa Ansa, the Italian data manager.
What is certain is that Italy is not the only European country to continue the new Chinese AI chatbot concerning confidentiality problems. Belgium and Ireland have also filed similar complaints, fearing that Deepseek’s privacy policy would be in violation of the RGPD rules.
Can a VPN help bypass the Deepseek block?
Despite the best VPN services known to help users get around online restrictions, Italians may require additional solutions. As the ban by the United States Tiktok, a VPN is not a solution with a click for the Deepseek withdrawal.
It is mainly because the use of a VPN does not reach the location of your application store. This means that you will have to “find another way to download the Apple application or Google Play stores”, explains Eamonn Maguire, account manager at Proton – the supplier behind Proton VPN.
Do you know?
A virtual private network (VPN) is security software that encrypts your Internet connections to prevent third -party espionage while usurping your real IP address location. This last skill is what you need to get around online geo-restaurants.
Surely not impossible, however, the experts nevertheless suggest by doing this with caution.
“The news of this week concerning data confidentiality problems and the databases disclosed are worrying. When they are associated with the potential links of the company with the Chinese government, this is even more worrying,” said Maguire to Techradar.
While Deepseek’s confidentiality policy could look very much like that of the developed chatgpt of OpenAi, the Euroconsumers – a coalition of five national consumer protection organizations, which include Italy and Belgium – have found “multiple violations of European and national data protection regulations “.
In addition, in accordance with the supplier’s formulation, the personal information of users is stored “in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China” and will be used to “comply with our legal obligations, or if necessary to perform tasks in the public interest, or to protect the vital interests of our users and other people.
Overall, Maguire said: “We recommend that users be cautious when using China linked to AI, especially when sharing commercial or sensitive personal information.”
