But governments from Rome to Seoul are cracking down on the user-friendly Chinese app, saying they need to prevent potential leaks of sensitive information through generative AI services.

AFP takes a look at what's going on:

Who has banned DeepSeek?

First to act was Italy, which launched an investigation into DeepSeek and said it was blocking the upstart Chinese app from possessing Italian users' data.

Italy's Data Protection Authority had briefly blocked Western competitor ChatGPT in 2023.

Next, Taiwan banned workers in the public sector and at key infrastructure facilities from using DeepSeek, saying it was a Chinese product and could endanger national security.

Australia following suit days after.

Then, South Korean ministries -- including defence and unification, which oversees ties with the nuclear-armed North -- and the country's police force banned the app from military and work computers, citing security risks.

On Monday, authorities there said that DeepSeek would not be available from local app stores while a review of its handling of personal data is carried out.

US lawmakers have also moved to introduce a "No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act", with Congressman Darin LaHood saying the national security threat that "Chinese Communist Party-affiliated company" DeepSeek posed to the United States was "alarming".

State-level bans were also issued in Texas, Virginia and New York.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said personal information "must be protected from malicious espionage operations by the Chinese Communist Party."

Why are they worried?

In the terms and conditions of DeepSeek, there is a section on the provision of personal data to third parties -- very similar to that used by OpenAI's Chat GPT.

But while US companies typically resist government requests for data, "in China when the government requests access, companies are legally obligated to provide user data", said Youm Heung-youl, a data security professor at Soonchunhyang University.

"This distinction between respecting user privacy and providing government access often shapes how countries perceive trust in companies."

According to DeepSeek's privacy policy, it also collects information on "key stroke patterns or rhythms" which detects how an individual interacts with each button.

Is this justified?

DeepSeek "have a policy of aligning with the core values of socialism" Isabel Hou, Taiwanese AI expert and secretary-general of Taiwan AI Academy told AFP.

For example, sensitive enquiries about Tiananmen Square or Taiwanese statehood –- which would typically be censored in China –- should be possible on DeepSeek elsewhere.

"But we find that DeepSeek actually uses the same set of rules when providing services overseas," Hou added.

Beijing, for its part, claims the restrictions do not reflect legitimate national security concerns but highlight "the politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues".

It says the Chinese government "will never require enterprises or individuals to illegally collect or store data".

Is this unexpected?

"DeepSeek was launched in May of 2023, and something like this can't just emerge overnight," Park Seung-chan, Chinese studies professor at Yongin University told AFP.

Experts point to the enormous amount of research and development (R&D) China has poured into companies in recent years.

According to data from the Korea Chamber of Commerce, China ranked second among the world's top R&D investors, following the US, but showed the most significant growth, with its investment volume soaring more than 11-fold over the past decade.

"I see this (the release of R1) as a calculated move that was prepared before the Trump era, and we should pay attention to the second and third waves of DeepSeek," said Park.

What next?

DeepSeek says it uses less-advanced H800 chips -- permitted for sale to China until 2023 under US export controls -- to power its large learning model.

While semiconductor exporting powerhouses South Korea and Taiwan have been thriving on sales of cutting-edge chips, DeepSeek has thrown the industry into turmoil.

"If DeepSeek really used H800, it means that even without cutting-edge semiconductors, similar outcomes could be achieved with general semiconductors, as long as the software is good," Park Ki-soon, a professor of Chinese economics at Sungkyunkwan University told AFP.

"Countries like the US and China are investing massive amounts of talent and resources into software development," he said, adding that DeepSeek showed governments needed to boost this further and "provide support to foster this growth".

burs-hs/oho/fox

© Agence France-Presse

"I'm bad at switching off. I have a proper addiction to my phone," she told AFP, as she headed into an evening out organised by the Offline Club in London.

Tickets were snatched up when they went on sale for the two-hour "digital detox" night, with more than 150 young adults aged mostly between 20 and 35 eager to ditch their screens for an IRL evening -- meeting up in real life.

They each paid £9.50 ($11.97) for the chance to switch off their phones and make in-person human connections.

"We are the technology generation, but we're tired of it. We want to reconnect with the real world," said Bianca Bolum.

The 25-year-old jeweller had come on her own and was hoping to meet new people.

According to the UK's telecoms regulator Ofcom, young Brits aged between 25 and 34 spend an average of four hours and three minutes a day glued to their smartphones.

But Liliann Delacruz, 22, said she spent about 10 hours a day texting with her family and friends, surfing the net and checking her socials.

The evening was a chance to "get outside my bubble".

Scattered around the room in a London church were tables stacked with board games, as an excited hum echoed around the walls.

Engineer Harry Stead, 25, said he found leaving his phone at the door "freeing".

"I don't realise the addiction and then too often I feel the urge to look at my phone and scroll," he told AFP, adding he suffered from "FOMO" ("Fear of missing out").

- 'Loneliness epidemic' -

Shafier, 35, had come with a friend and they sat chatting together as they sewed.

If she had been at home, her phone would have been next to her. "I hate using my phone so much. I'm angry at myself," she said.

As soon as the evening was over though, she switched her phone back on, scanning her screen.

Ironically the participants found out about the club via social media, often Instagram posts.

Organiser Ben Hounsell, 23, said he was not against technology or calling for everyone to get rid of their phones.

"A lot of people are realising that just getting away from your phone for a few hours can be super beneficial in a number of ways," he said.

Since the club launched at the end of October, more than 2,000 people have taken part.

"It's really just growing super rapidly in London. Every event seems to sell out instantly," he said.

The club has also opened branches in Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. The first Offline Club was launched in Amsterdam by Ilya Kneppelhout and two friends.

"The loneliness epidemic and the mental health epidemics are on the rise. So people really seek connection, genuine connection with others away from screens," said Kneppelhout.

"A lot of us have social media and phone addictions because we're using it even though we don't want to... and we're using it even though we know it doesn't make us feel better."

- #offline -

Kneppelhout has been inspired by book clubs such as Reading Rhythms in New York or the Silent Book Club where people gather to read together.

Those seeking a longer detox can even join retreats in several countries lasting days.

Some influencers, ever present on social media, are leading the way. French woman Lena Mahfouf announced to her millions of followers in November that she was taking a month-long break.

Venetia La Manna, an online activist for sustainable fashion, disconnects from her phone every weekend, and lets her followers know with the hashtag #offline48.

"I'm able to be more present with my loved ones, I sleep better, I have more time to be creative, to be in nature and to be with my community."

For most people, "the real issue isn't necessarily harm to mental health; it's missed opportunities. What didn't you do because you were scrolling?" said Anna Cox, a professor of human-computer interaction at University College London.

"Did you miss a conversation with your partner," for example, or stay up later than planned and put off doing the washing up?

But Cox said there are excellent strategies "to help people reduce the time they spend on their devices", such as turning off notifications or switching the phone's interface to black and white.

"We need to educate ourselves -- and particularly young people -- on how to take control of our devices," she added.

ctx/alm/jkb/lcm/yad/fg

© Agence France-Presse

Critics have often been bamboozled by the former reality TV star's far-fetched proposals -- wondering whether he is for real, marking a negotiating position, or simply creating a distraction.

But Trump also prides himself on being a political disruptor -- and his shock suggestion to move out Palestinians and make Gaza the "Riviera of the Middle East" is a prime example.

"Much of what President Trump says is hyperbole, clever negotiating, and serious all at the same time," Peter Loge, the director of George Washington University's School of Media, told AFP.

"When he says outrageous seeming things that don't happen he plays it off as a joke or negotiating tactic. When the occasional scheme pans out, he claims to be a genius."

Trump's favorite tactic is often to leave people guessing.

A famous early assessment of Trump in 2016 by the journalist Salena Zito got to the heart of the difficulty.

Zito said that the press took Trump "literally, but not seriously" while his supporters took him "seriously, but not literally."

And offbeat suggestions have become 78-year-old Trump's trademark.

On one infamous occasion in 2020, he mused about injecting disinfectant to treat Covid-19 infection, or somehow getting a form of sterilizing light inside people's bodies.

In another case, before taking office in January, he vowed to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.

And more recently, he stunned the world by suddenly talking about annexing Canada and Greenland and seizing the Panama Canal.

- 'Outside of the box' -

Trump's opponents have sometimes lived to regret not taking him seriously.

Many counted Trump out after his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, only to see him return.

Then they wondered if he would carry out the radical right-wing agenda he promised in his 2024 election campaign, just to see him launch a "shock and awe" program targeting immigrants, transgender people and the federal government.

But many of those measures now face challenges in the courts or in Congress, where his party has only the slimmest of margins.

The Gaza proposal, meanwhile, goes a step further in terms of sheer unpredictability.

A smiling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump Tuesday for "thinking outside of the box."

"You say things others refuse to say. And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads and they say, 'you know, he's right,'" Netanyahu said.

But Middle Eastern leaders begged to differ.

And without any further elaboration from Trump, the White House and State Department have since had to walk back elements about whether it would be a permanent change and if it would involve US boots on the ground.

- 'Art of the Deal' -

Experts suggest there are different strategies for Trump's outrageous suggestions.

Sometimes they are useful as a distraction from more pressing political problems.

Mirette Mabrouk, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Trump's recent proposals masked the fact that he had yet to bring down inflation as he'd promised.

"There have been these big international claims, but really none of this contributes to the price of eggs," Mabrouk said.

At other times, the man behind the 1987 book "The Art of the Deal" appears to use them as a negotiating tool.

This tactic seemed to be on display when Trump threatened tariffs on allies Mexico and Canada, then paused them after they agreed to take border security steps.

But things were, again, not necessarily as it seemed, as some of the Canadian promises had already been announced months earlier.

Trump's former career as a real estate tycoon -- albeit one that involved a series of bankruptcies and lawsuits -- perhaps provides the best explanation.

His plans for Gaza, Greenland and Panama all sound a lot like property deals.

Last year, Trump described Gaza as being "like Monaco," while his son-in-law Jared Kushner suggested that Israel could clear Gaza of civilians to unlock "waterfront property."

It was during Trump's property developer life in the 1980s, meanwhile, that he first floated a presidential run.

Few took him seriously at the time. Decades later, he would end up in the White House -- twice.

dk-rfo/jgc

© Agence France-Presse

Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital Zagreb are blasted with a puff of white smoke once they step inside to blow away their worries before climbing into a "giant washing machine".

The "centrifuge of life" then whips them away Willy Wonka-style down a twisting slide into a pool filled with little white balls where their journey to a happier place starts.

Its creator Andrea Golubic said she had the idea for the museum during the pandemic when many were feeling down, depressed and isolated.

"I realised that I had a mission -- to heal people with laughter," added the upbeat 43-year-old.

The idea "came straight from the heart", Golubic told AFP, and on that very day I listed 78 exhibits... that's how the HaHaHouse began."

Golubic said it was her carefree seven-year-old self that inspired her -- "a picture of me as a first-grader, with wide teeth and dying of laughter. I was constantly joking as a kid," she said.

Visitors press a button to be "disinfected from negativity" as soon as they step inside the museum, which has eight interactive zones.

One has a rubber chicken choir cheerfully cackling out hits like ABBA's "Dancing Queen", there is a karaoke room with distorted voices and a "Sumo Arena" for wrestling in puffed up costumes.

There is also some serious history of humour from ancient to modern times told through theatre, film or the net.

The museum also explains humour styles, from word play, slapstick, toilet and dark humour to satire with the help of some choice one-liners.

"I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware," is one of the featured zingers from US comedian Joan Rivers.

- 'Inner child' -

Golubic said the HaHaHouse is drawing everyone from small children to the elderly, with grown-ups seeing it as a good excuse to play at being kids again themselves.

"All those who still feel a bit of childish joy and embrace their inner child, will recharge themselves," she insisted.

Pensioner Bruno Dadic told AFP he was "delighted" by his visit "as there is never enough humour in life.

"Laughter is a medicine for the soul," he said.

Zagreb's psychiatric hospital has voiced interest in organised visits and links are also being made with schools and retirement homes.

"The museum is great," said Aleksandar Suka who celebrated his fifth birthday with a visit.

Accompanied by his mother, the little boy said he loved lying on the "Bed of Nails" since they tickled him.

Singer Zorica Bucic, from the coastal town of Split, said the museum was perfect for our times "when we are bombarded with so much bad news.

"Entering here is like entering childhood, being relieved of all problems. If you could come here more there would be no need to pay a psychologist," she said.

Indeed, laughter is a defence mechanism which gives people strength to face their problems, psychologist Petar Kraljevic told AFP, saying he loved the idea too.

"If a prescription for three hours of laughter per 24 hours could be written and followed that would certainly give positive results."

ljv/fg

© Agence France-Presse

With many having turned to time-honoured crafts like crochet and knitting during the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of enthusiasts are looking to connect with the Austrian capital's craft community in real life.

Vienna's Votiv Kino has become the latest movie theatre in Europe to offer craft cinema nights, a trend trailblazed by Nordic countries.

"We saw that it exists in the US, in Denmark, in Finland, in Germany," said avid knitter Luisa Palmer, who initiated the knitting nights at the Votiv Kino with a colleague.

Since the launch event in December, the monthly knitting nights have sold out, drawing almost 180 visitors each time.

With the lights only slightly dimmed while "The Devil Wears Prada" was showing on Sunday, the cinemagoers got crafty.

"It is a bit 'grannycore', but I find it very calming and pleasant. Why not let out your inner granny?" Alexander Koch, 28, quipped while crocheting away.

Kaja Vospernik, a 23-year-old fashion student, who is knitting a sweater, told AFP that she was excited about "meeting new people, who have the same interests".

"I really enjoy knitting while watching movies or listening to podcasts, so of course the cinema is a great place for that," Vospernik said.

The movie seemed to take a backseat as passionate knitters and crocheters -- some of whom were donning their handmade knitwear -- kept chatting and working away.

"A lot of people started knitting and crocheting during the pandemic and out of necessity, only did it at home alone. That's why a lot of people now want to do it with others," 32-year-old Palmer said.

In an increasingly digital world with many hunched over computers at work, people enjoy "creating something with their own hands you can later even wear," said Palmer.

"Cozy films that you have already seen" are best suited for knitting, Palmer added.

And Vienna's "diverse" crafting community, which is "open to all age groups", has meanwhile grown to an estimated 1,000 people, Judith Hasloewer, who co-initiated the event at the cinema, told AFP.

"You can just sit in the theatre and knit and keep to yourself, but if you feel like company, you'll definitely find it here," she said.

Crafting your own garment allows you to "connect to reality, as it slows you down" while it also symbolises a bold statement against "fast fashion", Hasloewer, 27, said.

According to Votiv Kino spokeswoman Lisa Stolze, knitting nights are the latest addition to their special shows -- which include cinema breakfasts and screenings for parents and their babies -- that are designed to "appeal to the different interests of our audience".

kym/tw

© Agence France-Presse