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US Orders Federal Agencies to Remove DeepSeek AI Products
· Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove products developed by Chinese AI company DeepSeek from their IT systems.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove products developed by Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek from their information technology systems, according to reports from Americanbazaaronline and Analyticsindiamag.
Americanbazaaronline and Breitbart reported that the order cites concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive government data to Chinese authorities. The DHS stated that the use of DeepSeek technology “present multiple threat vectors” and “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by US government employees or vendors.”
Koreatimes (Korea, Republic of) and Qz reported that the order applies to civilian executive branch agencies, except their national security systems, and does not restrict the general public from using DeepSeek. The order, issued by the DHS in July and made public Monday, prohibits civilian agencies from purchasing third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek technology.
Computing (United Kingdom) noted that the order was issued under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, which allows designated officials to exclude products and services from government procurement and require their removal from federal systems.
Scmp (Hong Kong) reported that the notice said using DeepSeek’s products “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by US government employees or vendors,” adding that the models “themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.”
Americanbazaaronline and Analyticsindiamag reported that federal agencies can request exceptions to the order by submitting a written justification to DHS within 60 days of the order’s issuance. Agencies must exclude DeepSeek from procurement immediately, it added.
The order does not establish a blanket ban on DeepSeek’s use by private individuals or businesses across the country, according to Americanbazaaronline.
The DHS had issued guidance in July directing federal agencies to monitor data traffic to and from government websites to address potential risks associated with DeepSeek, as reported by Americanbazaaronline.
OpenAI and Anthropic have separately reported suspected DeepSeek attempts to distill their models, according to Theaiinsider.
The signed order is filed under docket DHS-2026-0628 at regulations.gov, and questions go to a FASCSA implementation team inside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as reported by Technology.
All reports agree that the DHS has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their IT systems and banned the procurement of related technology due to national security concerns.
The reports from Americanbazaaronline, Analyticsindiamag, Koreatimes (Korea, Republic of), and Qz concur that the order applies to civilian agencies but does not restrict the general public from using DeepSeek products or services.
What this adds
The order, issued by the DHS in July and made public Monday, prohibits civilian agencies from purchasing third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek technology. Agencies must exclude DeepSeek from procurement immediately, it added.
Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has banned all use of DeepSeek within civilian government agencies, and any technology built with the aid of its AI models, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom).
What's confirmed
- The U.S. has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove products developed by Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek from their information technology systems and banned the use of related technology.
- The order cites concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive government data to Chinese authorities.
- The order applies to civilian executive branch agencies, except their national security systems, and does not restrict the general public from using DeepSeek "Third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations," DHS noted in its order.
- "We will resolutely safeguard Chinese businesses' lawful rights and interests."
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered federal agencies to stop using products from Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek over national security concerns.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their information technology systems and barred them from procuring the products.
- Federal civilian agencies must bar DeepSeek artificial intelligence products from their networks and remove any already deployed, marking the first time the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has exercised its exclusion and removal authority, according to a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. DeepSeek is a Chinese artificial intelligence research company that develops large language models.
- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday that Beijing opposes “overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing technology and trade issues,” according to an offic i al briefing.
What's still developing
- “China will closely monitor the situation and take all necessary measures to firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests,” the ministry said in a statement.