The Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their information-technology systems and barred them from purchasing the Chinese company’s products and services.
The directive was issued under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act after a review by the Federal Acquisition Security Council and related evidence. DHS said DeepSeek’s models present multiple security risks, including the possibility that sensitive information entered by government employees or contractors could become accessible in China. The order points to DeepSeek’s servers being located in China and to Chinese law granting authorities broad access to private company infrastructure.
The order was issued in late July and formally published Monday in the Federal Register, giving agencies a public record of the procurement ban and the required removal of existing products.
China rejected the move. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing opposed expanding the concept of national security to restrict technology and trade, while the Commerce Ministry accused the United States of using security concerns to contain Chinese companies and said China would take measures to defend their interests. DeepSeek did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A law enacted in December 2025 targeted the company’s use in intelligence national-security systems; the new order reaches civilian agencies and applies to both future purchases and technology already installed in agency systems.
DeepSeek gained international attention in January 2025 after releasing a low-cost, high-performance chatbot that challenged assumptions about US leadership in artificial intelligence. It released its V4 model in April and updated a lighter version in October. US officials have also accused DeepSeek and other Chinese AI companies of extracting capabilities from American systems through model distillation, allegations rejected by Beijing.
The ban comes as Washington and Beijing compete over advanced AI while maintaining limited channels for managing risks. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in September to establish a channel for AI-related incidents, and AI is expected to be discussed when they meet at a November summit in Shenzhen.