US orders federal agencies to remove China's DeepSeek AI from government systems
A Homeland Security order bans DeepSeek and any products built on its technology across federal civilian agencies over fears that data could reach Beijing. China accuses Washington of politicising technology.
At a glance
- The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and remove them from their IT systems.
- The ban also covers DeepSeek's affiliates and third-party products and services built with DeepSeek technology; agencies have 60 days to request exceptions, which CISA will review.
- DHS cites national-security risks, including possible Chinese government access to data and weaknesses found in DeepSeek's mobile app.
- China's foreign ministry said it opposes 'overstretching the concept of national security' and will protect Chinese companies' rights.
The United States has banned Chinese AI company DeepSeek from federal government computers. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) order published in the Federal Register this week tells federal civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and remove them from their IT systems, citing national-security risks.
What the order says
| Issued by | US Department of Homeland Security |
| Applies to | Federal civilian agencies |
| Covers | DeepSeek products, its affiliates, and third-party products and services built with DeepSeek technology |
| Required | Immediately stop buying and remove covered products |
| Exceptions | Agencies can apply within 60 days; CISA decides |
| Does not cover | Private companies or the general public |
The order goes beyond DeepSeek's own chatbot and app: any software or service that uses DeepSeek's models under the hood is also covered. Agencies that lack the technical capacity to comply will get help from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
It extends an earlier restriction under a law passed in December 2025, which targeted DeepSeek in US intelligence agencies' national-security systems.
Why the US acted
DHS gave several reasons:
- Chinese government access: sensitive information from US government users could be accessible to Chinese authorities under Chinese law.
- Data collection: concerns that DeepSeek could collect personal information and track users.
- App security: an earlier security review of DeepSeek's iPhone app found unencrypted data transmission, weak encryption, insecure storage and user fingerprinting.
China's response
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing opposes "overstretching the concept of national security and politicising technology and trade issues", adding: "We will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises."
Background: the DeepSeek shock
DeepSeek, based in Hangzhou, burst onto the global stage in January 2025 when its R1 reasoning model matched leading American AI systems at a fraction of the cost, triggering a sharp sell-off in Nvidia shares. Since then it has faced scrutiny from regulators worldwide over data protection, and several countries and US states have restricted its use on government devices.
US AI companies have also accused DeepSeek and other Chinese labs of "distillation" — using the outputs of American AI models to train their own. A US cybersecurity advisory in September named DeepSeek and five other Chinese AI firms in such allegations.
Why it matters
- US–China tech rivalry: the ban deepens the split between American and Chinese AI ecosystems, which already includes US export controls on advanced chips and Chinese plans for controls on AI technologies.
- For businesses: companies that sell software to the US government must now check whether their products use DeepSeek models.
- For other countries: governments, including in South Asia, are weighing the same trade-off between cheap, powerful open AI models and data-security concerns.
What happens next
Agencies must remove DeepSeek products now or apply for an exception within 60 days. China may respond with measures of its own, and other governments could follow the US lead on government devices.
Questions people are asking
Is DeepSeek banned in the United States?
Not for the public. The October 2026 order applies only to federal civilian agencies, which must stop buying and remove DeepSeek products. Private individuals and companies can still use it.
Why did the US ban DeepSeek from government systems?
The Department of Homeland Security says sensitive government data could be accessed by Chinese authorities under Chinese law, and points to security flaws found in DeepSeek's app, such as weak encryption and unencrypted data transmission.
What is DeepSeek?
A Chinese AI company based in Hangzhou that makes large language models and a chatbot. Its R1 model shook the AI industry in January 2025 by matching leading US models at a much lower cost.
