DeepSeek has reportedly disappeared from Italy's Apple App Store and Google Play Store, with the disappearance starting on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
The block came a day after the country's data watchdog, the Garante, filed a privacy complaint asking for clarification on how the ChatGPT rival handles users' personal data.
Italian iPhone and Android users have confirmed to TechRadar the new AI chatbot isn't available in the app stores to download (see image below).
The DeepSeek website remains available across the country for now. Italians can also still use their DeepSeek app if they had already downloaded it before the block came into force.
At the time of writing, no official explanations about Italy's DeepSeek block have been shared.
"I don't know if it's bound to us or not, we asked for some information. The company has now 20 days to reply," Pasquale Stanzione, head of Italy's data watchdog, said to Italian news agency ANSA.
What's certain is that Italy isn't the only European country going after the new Chinese AI chatbot over privacy concerns. Belgium and Ireland also filed similar complaints, fearing that Deepseek's privacy policy may be in breach of GDPR rules.
Can a VPN help bypassing DeepSeek block?
Despite the best VPN services being known to help users bypass online restrictions, Italians may require some extra workarounds. Like the US TikTok ban, a VPN isn't a one-click solution for the DeepSeek withdrawal.
That's mainly because using a VPN doesn't spoof your App Store location. This means that you'll need to "find another way of downloading the app other than the Apple App or Google Play stores," explains Eamonn Maguire, Head of Account Security at Proton – the provider behind Proton VPN.
A virtual private network (VPN) is security software that encrypts your internet connections to prevent third-party snooping while spoofing your real IP address location. Th latter skill is what you need to bypass online geo-restrictions.
Surely not impossible, however, experts suggest nonetheless doing this with caution.
"This week's news around data privacy issues and leaked databases are concerning. When coupled with the company's potential links to the Chinese government, this is even more worrying," Maguire told TechRadar.
While DeepSeek's privacy policy might look very similar to those of OpenAI-developed ChatGPT, Euroconsumers – a coalition of five national consumer protection organizations, which includes Italy and Belgium – found "multiple violations of European and national data protection regulations."
Moreover, as per the provider's own wording, users' personal information is stored "in secure servers located in the People's Republic of China" and will be used to "comply with our legal obligations, or as necessary to perform tasks in the public interest, or to protect the vital interests of our users and other people."
All in all, Maguire said: "We recommend users act with caution when using AI tools linked to China, particularly when sharing sensitive business or personal information."
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