The Dutch privacy watchdog, AP, has launched an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek’s data collection practices, reported Reuters.
Concerns have been raised about the comapny’s privacy policies and its use of personal information.
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In a statement, AP chairman Aleid Wolfsen said: “The AP is (issuing this) warning because of the serious concerns that there are over DeepSeek’s privacy policies and the way in which it appears to use personal information.”
The AP highlighted that European citizens’ personal data can only be stored abroad under strict conditions, which the company must adhere to.
In January 2025, Italy blocked DeepSeek’s app over privacy concerns.
The Italian regulator, Garante, questioned DeepSeek about its data collection methods, sources, purposes, legal basis, and storage location.
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By GlobalDataIreland and France have also sought information from the company regarding its data processing practices.
The Netherlands’ watchdog is collaborating with other European Union regulators to exchange information and coordinate further steps.
This follows DeepSeek’s release of an open-source version of its reasoning model, DeepSeek-R1, which claims to rival OpenAI’s models on certain benchmarks.
Outside Europe, privacy, security, and surveillance concerns have prompted warnings from the US and Australia about using DeepSeek’s AI model.
In the US, a White House press secretary mentioned that officials are examining the national security implications of the app.
DeepSeek has positioned itself as a low-cost alternative to US competitors, with its free AI assistant surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store in the US.
Australia Treasurer Jim Chalmers echoed global apprehension, urging Australians to exercise caution when using DeepSeek.
Chalmers said: “We would urge Australians to be cautious about this new technology. Obviously we are constantly receiving advice on it.”
Unlike the billions invested by US IT companies in AI, DeepSeek claims to have spent only $5.6m on developing its model.
Its R1 model is reported to be 20 to 50 times less expensive than OpenAI’s models, depending on the task.
