US Homeland Security orders federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek AI products

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove products and services from Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek from their IT systems and to stop buying them, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on 20 October.

The order, dated 24 July and signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, also covers products from DeepSeek’s affiliates and third-party products and services built using DeepSeek technology, Bloomberg Law and BleepingComputer reported. CNBC reported that it applies to departments including Treasury, State and Justice, but not to the Department of Defense. BleepingComputer reported that it is not a ban on private or consumer use.

According to CNBC, the order says DeepSeek’s AI models “present multiple threat vectors”. DHS cited the possibility that sensitive US government data could be transferred to China and that the models could contain malware or other security vulnerabilities, referring to research that found flaws in DeepSeek’s iOS app.

Agencies can ask for an exception, including a delay, by sending a written justification within 60 days of the order’s issue, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will review the requests, BleepingComputer reported.

CNBC reported that other US government bodies have previously restricted DeepSeek, including Congress for intelligence community systems in December 2025. DeepSeek’s response to the order was not included in the reports.