Italy's Data Protection Authority Blocks Chinese AI Chatbot DeepSeek Over Privacy Concerns

Italy's privacy watchdog taking on big tech

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's data protection authority has called on the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) model DeepSeek to provide answers on its use of personal data. The agency, also known as the Garante, frequently takes initiatives - such as requesting information or imposing fines or bans - on matters affecting high-tech multinationals operating in the country. The agency was established in 1997 following the implementation of the country's data protection law which sought to align with European Union rules. It has become increasingly active in safeguarding personal data and privacy rights in Italy and intervenes more frequently than similar bodies in many other European Union countries. GOVERNANCE The agency, based in Rome's central Piazza Venezia, is an independent authority comprised of a collegiate body of four members, including a president. The members are elected by parliament and serve a seven-year term intended to ensure independence from the government. The Garante's current president is Pasquale Stanzione, a 79-year-old former law professor at Salerno University. FUNCTION The agency investigates complaints, conducts audits and imposes sanctions on entities that it rules have violated data protection regulations. It also provides guidance and advice to public and private sector organizations on data protection practices. KEY RULINGS Over the past five years, the Garante has issued rulings that have shaped the landscape of data protection in Italy. In 2020, it fined Telecom Italia (TIM) 27.8 million euros ($29 million) for unlawful data processing practices related to telemarketing activities. The ruling underscored the importance of obtaining clear and explicit consent from individuals before processing their personal data for marketing purposes. In 2021 it ordered Chinese social media platform TikTok to enhance its data protection measures to better safeguard minors, following concerns about the platform's handling of personal data of users under the age of 13. In 2023 OpenAI took its ChatGPT app offline in Italy after the Garante temporarily banned the chatbot and launched a probe over the artificial intelligence application's suspected breach of privacy rules. Italy was the first Western country to temporarily ban the app. Last year it fined Italy's second-largest bank, UniCredit, 2.8 million euros for a data breach in a case affecting thousands of customers and former customers. Last month the agency fined OpenAI 15 million euros after closing another investigation into its use of personal data.

Italy's Regulator Blocks Chinese AI App DeepSeek on Data Protection

The watchdog had questioned DeepSeek this week about its use of personal Italy's data protection authority, the Garante, said on Thursday it had ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot in the country after the Chinese artificial intelligence startup failed to address the regulator's concerns over its privacy policy. The watchdog had questioned DeepSeek this week about its use of personal data, particularly seeking informationon what personal data is collected, from which sources, for what purposes, on what legal basis and whether it is stored in China. The Garante's order -- aimed at protecting Italian users' data -- came after the Chinese companies that supply the DeepSeek chatbot service provided information that "was considered to totally insufficient," the watchdog said in a statement. DeepSeek had no immediate comment. The Chinese startup said its newly-launched AI models are on a par or better than industry-leading models in the United States at a fraction of the cost, threatening to upset the technology world order. Its AI assistant has overtaken rival ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple's App Store in the United States. The Garante added that its order had "immediate effect" and that it had also opened an investigation. European Scrutiny Data regulators in Ireland and France are also questioning DeepSeek over its chatbot's privacy policy. In its response to the Garante's queries, DeepSeek said it had removed its AI assistant from Italian app stores after its privacy policy was questioned, Agostino Ghiglia, one of the four members of the Italian data authority's board, told Reuters. Ghiglia said that DeepSeek added it should not be subject to local regulation or the jurisdiction of the Garante, and had no obligation to provide the regulator with any information. "Not only did DeepSeek's response not give us any reassurance, it worsened their position, and that's the reason we decide to order the block," Ghiglia said. "If there is no cooperation, DeepSeek will continue to be blocked in Italy", he added. As of Friday, some Italian users who had previously downloaded the app on their mobile devices said the chatbot was still providing answers. The web version of the service is still operating. "Citizens have the right to give their consent based on what you do, or do not do, with their data. And servers in China do not offer the guarantees Europe does," Ghiglia said. Italy's Garante is among the most proactive of the 31 data protection authorities in Europe on the use of AI. Two years ago it briefly banned the use of Microsoft-backed ChatGPT over suspected breaches of EU privacy rules. © Thomson Reuters 2025

Factbox-Italy's Privacy Watchdog Taking on Big Tech

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's data protection authority has called on the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) model DeepSeek to provide answers on its use of personal data. The agency, also known as the Garante, frequently takes initiatives - such as requesting information or imposing fines or bans - on matters affecting high-tech multinationals operating in the country. The agency was established in 1997 following the implementation of the country's data protection law which sought to align with European Union rules. It has become increasingly active in safeguarding personal data and privacy rights in Italy and intervenes more frequently than similar bodies in many other European Union countries. GOVERNANCE The agency, based in Rome's central Piazza Venezia, is an independent authority comprised of a collegiate body of four members, including a president. The members are elected by parliament and serve a seven-year term intended to ensure independence from the government. The Garante's current president is Pasquale Stanzione, a 79-year-old former law professor at Salerno University. FUNCTION The agency investigates complaints, conducts audits and imposes sanctions on entities that it rules have violated data protection regulations. It also provides guidance and advice to public and private sector organizations on data protection practices. KEY RULINGS Over the past five years, the Garante has issued rulings that have shaped the landscape of data protection in Italy. In 2020, it fined Telecom Italia (TIM) 27.8 million euros ($29 million) for unlawful data processing practices related to telemarketing activities. The ruling underscored the importance of obtaining clear and explicit consent from individuals before processing their personal data for marketing purposes. In 2021 it ordered Chinese social media platform TikTok to enhance its data protection measures to better safeguard minors, following concerns about the platform's handling of personal data of users under the age of 13. In 2023 OpenAI took its ChatGPT app offline in Italy after the Garante temporarily banned the chatbot and launched a probe over the artificial intelligence application's suspected breach of privacy rules. Italy was the first Western country to temporarily ban the app. Last year it fined Italy's second-largest bank, UniCredit, 2.8 million euros for a data breach in a case affecting thousands of customers and former customers. Last month the agency fined OpenAI 15 million euros after closing another investigation into its use of personal data.