US Homeland Security Department orders civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek
The order, made public on October 19, extends to third-party tools built using DeepSeek models and bars purchases of covered technology.
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The order, made public on October 19, extends to third-party tools built using DeepSeek models and bars purchases of covered technology.
The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek technology from their information systems and stop buying covered products and services. Issued in July 2026 and made public on October 19, the order reaches beyond DeepSeek-branded tools to third-party products and services built using the Chinese company’s AI models.
The broader civilian-agency order follows restrictions imposed by individual agencies. Reuters reported on October 19 that the US Commerce Department and Navy had already banned DeepSeek on government devices.
The Federal Register notice published on October 20 identifies the developer as Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. It excludes products and services developed by DeepSeek and its affiliates from civilian-agency purchases, and requires removal of their products and third-party tools developed using DeepSeek implementations.
Reuters also reported that the purchasing ban covers third-party services developed using DeepSeek. The distinction matters for agencies buying software from other suppliers: a tool can fall within the restrictions because of the model it uses, not just the company selling it.
DHS said DeepSeek’s servers are in China and Chinese law gives government cyber and intelligence bodies extensive authority to access private-company infrastructure. The department warned that information government employees or vendors submit to DeepSeek could transfer sensitive data to China.
DHS said that information, alone or combined with public data, could yield intelligence that could be acted on about US persons or government programs. It also warned that the models may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities, presenting those as potential risks rather than confirmed findings.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China opposed the overstretching of national security and would safeguard Chinese companies' legitimate rights and interests.
DHS’s public summary gives no implementation deadline or detailed exceptions. The July memo also told agencies to monitor traffic entering and leaving government websites to address potential DeepSeek risks, Reuters reported.
The order requires civilian agencies to remove covered technology already on their systems and exclude it from future purchases.
The department cites a risk that sensitive data could reach China and orders the removal of third-party services using DeepSeek models as well as DeepSeek products.
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