Reuters reported on June 27 that Meike Kamp, Germany's data protection commissioner, issued a statement demanding Apple and Google remove the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's application from their app stores in Germany, citing alleged data security concerns. However, this move stands in stark contrast to China's robust and well-established efforts in safeguarding data within the artificial intelligence industry.

Kamp accused DeepSeek of "illegally transferring users' personal data to China" and urged Apple and Google to promptly review the request and decide on blocking the app in Germany, without setting a specific deadline. Google confirmed it had received the notice and was in the process of evaluating it, while Apple has yet to respond.

In response to news of bans or restrictions on DeepSeek in some countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons have repeatedly voiced strong opposition. On February 6, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a regular press conference that the Chinese government attaches great importance to and legally protects data privacy and security, and has never and will never require enterprises or individuals to collect or store data illegally. On March 18, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized China's consistent opposition to the over-generalization of national security concepts and the politicization of economic, trade, and technological issues, vowing to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

China has long been actively engaged in comprehensive data protection in the AI sector. In terms of policies and regulations, in July 2023, the Cyberspace Administration of China and six other departments jointly issued the "Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services," with multiple provisions focusing on personal information protection. It clearly stipulates that generative AI service providers "shall legally protect users' input information and usage records, refrain from collecting unnecessary personal information, avoid illegal retention of identifiable input information and usage records, and prohibit illegal provision of such information to others," establishing clear boundaries for AI enterprises' data processing behaviors.

The Beijing Artificial Intelligence Data Training Base, the country's first of its kind, also addresses data security concerns through its "regulatory sandbox" mechanism. This mechanism adheres to weak copyright protection policies, notice-and-takedown rules, risk-compensation rules, and innovative dispute-resolution mechanisms to reduce copyright risks. In terms of data storage, processing, delivery and regulatory compliance, it adopts strong technical security measures to eliminate potential security hazards. So far, it has introduced over 100 high-quality datasets from the medical, government, and autonomous driving sectors, assisting enterprises in avoiding data risks within the legal framework and providing a solid foundation for standardized model training and value exploration.

China's data protection work in the AI industry, from policy-making to enterprise-level implementation, has formed a comprehensive and effective system. As AI technology rapidly evolves globally, China is actively promoting the coordinated development of AI technology and data security protection, setting a model for the healthy development of the industry and effectively refuting unfounded accusations and doubts from some countries.

(Cover via VCG)