Key Highlights

  • DHS order bars federal civilian agencies from using or buying DeepSeek products, including third-party tools built on its technology.
  • Agencies can request exceptions or compliance delays by submitting a written justification to DHS under a 60-day window.
  • The ban covers agencies including Treasury, State and Justice, and excludes the Department of Defense.
  • Prior restrictions include a January 2025 Defense Information Systems Agency block and a December 2025 congressional limit on intelligence systems.

DHS Order Reaches Third-Party Products

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday made public an order requiring federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek-related technology from their IT systems and barring them from procuring DeepSeek products and services. The ban applies to federal civilian agency IT systems, including third-party products and services developed using the Chinese AI startup's technology.

The order covers agencies including the Treasury, State and Justice departments, but it excludes the Department of Defense. It was issued before Monday's disclosure. The order draws on the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, which lets DHS recommend that risky products or services be excluded from federal procurement or removed from federal IT systems, and it was filed for publication in the Federal Register.

Under the order, civilian agencies may not buy IT products or services from DeepSeek's parent company, Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, or its affiliates, according to reports on the notice. DeepSeek is the only Chinese AI model named in it, and agencies are encouraged to strengthen monitoring, logging and data-exfiltration controls while removal is under way.

Security Concerns Cited

DHS said DeepSeek's AI models "present multiple threat vectors," citing potential access to sensitive data by Chinese authorities and potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The agency warned that using the models could result in sensitive U.S. government data being transferred to China, potentially giving intelligence on American citizens and government programs. It added that the models may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities, pointing to open-source research that identified multiple critical vulnerabilities in DeepSeek's iOS app.

Reports on the order also cite data stored on servers in China, where authorities can compel domestic companies to hand over data, and the collection of personally identifiable information. Executive agencies can request exceptions to the order, including delays in compliance, by submitting a written justification to DHS under a 60-day window.

Beijing Pushes Back

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said China consistently opposes "the over-generalization of national security" and "the politicization of science, technology and trade issues," and pledged to safeguard the rights and interests of its companies. DeepSeek and China's embassy in the U.K. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier Restrictions Set the Backdrop

The move comes amid intensifying geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, with artificial intelligence emerging as a key battleground in the race for technological dominance. Since DeepSeek burst onto the scene at the start of 2025, several U.S. government agencies have imposed restrictions.

The Defense Information Systems Agency moved to block access to DeepSeek models in January 2025. In March 2025, U.S. Commerce Department bureaus told staff that DeepSeek was banned on government devices. Congress restricted the use of DeepSeek in intelligence community systems in December 2025. Before the DHS order, agencies had used their own discretion to block models of this kind.