DeepSeek
DHS bans DeepSeek products from federal civilian agencies
DHS ordered civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and to remove those they run, including third-party products built using DeepSeek.
The Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and to remove the ones they already run. The order reaches third-party products built using DeepSeek implementations.
The Order Excludes and Removes
DHS published a notice of order in the Federal Register on Oct. 20 under docket DHS-2026-0628. The Secretary of Homeland Security issued it under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, after reviewing a recommendation from the Federal Acquisition Security Council.
The order excludes information technology products and services developed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd, including affiliated entities, from civilian agency procurements. It also removes all DeepSeek and DeepSeek-affiliate products, and third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations, from civilian agency information technology. The notice lists CISA’s FASCSA Order Implementation Team as the contact.
DHS Points to Data and Malware Risks
DHS characterized the risks as potentially resulting in the “transfer of sensitive data” of U.S. government employees and vendors to the Chinese government, Engadget reported Oct. 19. DHS also said DeepSeek’s models could “contain malware or other security vulnerabilities,” according to Engadget.
Engadget named the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission as agencies that must exclude and remove DeepSeek products. It said the order came days after DeepSeek released its V4.1-Flash-1017 model.
Agencies Can Ask for Exceptions
Agencies can request exceptions to the order, TechCrunch reported Oct. 20. A December 2025 law had restricted DeepSeek in intelligence and national security systems. TechCrunch said the new order extends that to civilian agencies.
Beijing Objects
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning opposed “overstretching the concept of national security,” TechCrunch reported Oct. 20. Mao said Beijing would protect the rights of Chinese enterprises.
What It Means for the Labs
The order covers third-party products developed using DeepSeek implementations. We think a vendor that sells to civilian agencies and builds on DeepSeek’s open models falls inside it as written.