Italy Bans China’s DeepSeek AI Chatbot Over Privacy Fears – BitRss

Italian data protection authorities have ordered Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to block its chatbot in Italy.  

The Italian Protection Data Authority, known locally as the Garante, ordered the technology company to cease its alleged operations in Italy on Thursday. The move came shortly after the firm failed to satisfy local regulators’ inquiries into its privacy policies, the watchdog said in a statement. 

DeepSeek has faced plenty of opposition over its data collection practices from western regulators, who say they fear the firm could exploit foreigners’ data for espionage and other nefarious purposes.

The Garante said that DeepSeek’s response to its questions about the company’s data collection practices was “totally insufficient.” 

“Contrary to the authority’s findings, the companies declared that they do not operate in Italy, and that European legislation does not apply to them,’’ the Garante