Germany: State data protection authorities announced investigation into DeepSeek to assess compliance with representative designation under General Data Protection Regulation

On 14 February 2025, the state data protection supervisory authorities of Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Hesse, Bremen, and Berlin announced an investigation into DeepSeek to assess compliance with representative designation under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The investigation focuses on whether the two Chinese companies behind DeepSeek have appointed a representative in the European Union (EU) as required under Article 27(1) GDPR. This provision mandates that non-EU entities offering services to EU data subjects designate a representative to act as a contact point for supervisory authorities and data subjects with fines for non-compliance.