The Irish Data Protection Commission has sent a note to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI upstart, requesting details about how the company processes the data of citizens in Ireland. This move comes less than 24 hours after the Italian data protection watchdog sent a similar request to DeepSeek, which has yet to respond publicly.

The Italian Data Protection Authority's request for information follows a complaint filed by Euroconsumers, a coalition of consumer groups in Europe, regarding DeepSeek's handling of personal data in relation to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Italian DPA wants to know what personal data is collected, from which sources, and for which purposes, including what information is used to train its AI system.

DeepSeek's privacy policy notes that it collects and stores data in China, which has raised concerns about the transfer of data from the EU to China. The company claims to do so "in accordance with the requirements of applicable data protection laws," but Euroconsumers and the Italian DPA want more details. They are also seeking information on how DeepSeek protects or restricts minors on its services, including age verification and handling of minors' data.

The news comes as DeepSeek's large language model has made significant waves in the tech industry, with some hailing it as a game-changer. However, others have raised concerns about the company's data processing practices and its potential impact on the tech industry, particularly in light of its Chinese parent company's hedge fund background.

At a press conference at the European Commission, Thomas Regnier, Commission Spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty, was asked about concerns over DeepSeek related to security, privacy, and censorship. While he declined to say whether DeepSeek respected EU rules or not, he emphasized that the AI Act applies to all AI services offered in the region.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) also responded to questions about DeepSeek, stating that the company will be subject to the same scrutiny as any other generative AI developer. The ICO emphasized the importance of transparency and effective processes for enabling people to exercise their information rights.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised about potential copyright and IP protection issues surrounding DeepSeek's training data. Microsoft and OpenAI have alleged that DeepSeek's model was partly trained on "distillations" from their proprietary models, which could have significant implications for the company.

As the regulatory scrutiny intensifies, DeepSeek's apps have been pulled from major Italian app stores, although the service remains live online in the country. The company has yet to respond publicly to the requests from the Irish and Italian data protection watchdogs.

The developments surrounding DeepSeek highlight the growing importance of data protection and intellectual property concerns in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. As the company faces increased scrutiny, it remains to be seen how it will respond to the requests from regulatory bodies and address the concerns surrounding its data processing practices.