The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying products and services from Chinese AI company DeepSeek, and to remove those already installed in government IT systems, according to Reuters, TechCrunch and The Decoder. The order is based on national security concerns and on a 2018 US law covering supply chain security in federal procurement.
The ban goes beyond DeepSeek's own app and models: it also covers products from affiliated companies and third-party services built using DeepSeek technology, although agencies can request exceptions. The DHS warned that sensitive data from US government users could potentially be accessible to Chinese authorities under Chinese law. No removal deadline was set, and the notice did not name specific security incidents.
What the DeepSeek ban covers
The move extends restrictions that already existed. A law passed in December 2025 had targeted DeepSeek's use in intelligence and national security systems; the new order pushes the same limits into federal civilian agencies.
It is still unclear how far the wording reaches. The Decoder notes that the notice does not define what "built with" DeepSeek actually means, leaving open whether AI gateways such as OpenRouter fall under the ban.
- The order covers federal civilian agencies, not the military.
- It applies to new purchases and to systems already in place.
- Third-party products built with DeepSeek technology are included.
- Agencies may request exceptions.
