Germany's data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection, following a similar crackdown elsewhere.

Google’s Android have been warned by a top German privacy regulator that the Chinese AI service DeepSeek, available on their app stores, constitutes illegal content because it exposes users’ data to Chinese authorities.

The data authority asked Apple and Google to carry out a "timely review" about whether to ban the app or not form their respective app stores. Action in Germany could lead to a European Union-wide ban,