United States bans DeepSeek from federal civilian agencies

The United States Department of Homeland Security has issued an order to exclude DeepSeek products and services from procurement by federal civilian agencies. The directive, which was published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026, also mandates the removal of existing DeepSeek technologies from relevant information systems.

The restriction extends beyond the Chinese company’s direct products to include third-party solutions and services developed using DeepSeek technology implementations. This measure aims to mitigate risks regarding sensitive data access, potential data transfers to China, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Impacted departments include the Treasury, State, and Justice departments. However, the Department of Defense is explicitly excluded from this specific order.