DeepSeekthe new chatbot Chinese free artificial intelligence (AI) – which already has an estimated user base of 5 to 6 million worldwide – is already in the sight of Italian authorities. The application has already suffered all this week disruptions in its operation and download in Italy, And on it it hangs an “urgent and immediate” request to limit “the use of the data of Italian users”, issued by the guarantor for the protection of transalpine personal data. Which coincides with fear – initially indicated in the United States – about the possibility that China has developed a powerful tool of Surveillance and propaganda, also to exercise softpower (soft power) in Western democracies.
The decision of the Italian guarantor, an independent authority that watches over the data protection of users and consumers, responds to its concern for the implications that this new tool could have for privacy of the users who use it. Specifically, the agency has said that it wants to know how Depseek collects, processes and stores – and for which purposes, and where – the data of the people who download and use it, as well as “what type of information is used to train the Artificial Intelligence System “and” how registered and unregistered users of the service on the processing of their data have been informed or informed. ” Therefore, this week, the guarantor has sent a petition of information to system managers, Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial IntelligencHey Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence.
However, only one day later, the Italian public body took another step. Arguing that Deepseek’s initial response had been “completely insufficient” and despite the fact that the company has 20 days to respond to the request, has ordered the blockade of the use of the data of Italian users of the application (something that would seem to The company is not complyingsince it continues to work in its web version and those that have already downloaded it are also being able to use it).
Investigation
He argument of the guarantor has been that the chatbot Chino would have declared that “it does not operate in Italy and that, therefore, it cannot be applied European regulations “which has been rejected by the body. With this, “in addition to requesting a limitation in the use of the data, an investigation has also been opened simultaneously,” according to a written statement.
Result of this has been a broad Debate in Italy. In fact, although the Italian government has not openly expressed itself on the matter, there are various Italian parties and observers have expressed their support for The proactivity of their public entity to safeguard the privacy of citizens. In addition, various Italian users also observed that the application does not provide information on issues on which there is censorship in China, such as The massacre of Tiananmén Square. (“I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question. I am an assistant to IA to provide useful and (sic) responses,” was the answer that this journalist obtained when he asked Deepseek).
Speed
It is not, however, the first time that the guarantor looks at a platform of Foreignin his attempt to regulate a world that did not exist when the international legal rules were currently written. In fact, already in 2023, the entity temporarily prohibited Chatgpt For alleged violations of privacy, thus turning Italy into the first western country to take a similar measure. And then the guarantor too OpenAi fined 15 million euros for violations of the privacy standards of the European Union.
The speed – the application was just introduced In Italy last January 26– And determination demonstrated by the guarantor suggest that, this time, the concern is even greater. As Michelangelo Cocco wrote in the pages of the Diana newspaper, the fear is that “Xi Jinping’s China is preparing To face isolationism and unilateralism of (US president, Donald) Trump proposing as a alférez […] of its version of globalization“.
