US bans use of Chinese DeepSeek in federal agencies
US authorities have ordered civilian federal agencies to stop using technologies from Chinese company DeepSeek, developer of the eponymous artificial intelligence model. Government institutions must remove the relevant products from their information systems and cease their procurement.
The Wall Street Journal reported this on October 19, citing an order from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to the official document, the restrictions apply to software products and services of Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd, as well as related organizations.
In addition, federal agencies must remove third-party software products and services developed using DeepSeek technologies. Thus, the restrictions apply not only to the Chinese chatbot itself, but also to solutions from other companies built on its basis.
US authorities fear government data leaks
The decision was made based on the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018. Before imposing restrictions, the Department of Homeland Security reviewed recommendations from the Federal Acquisition Security Council and related materials.
The order states that DeepSeek technologies may pose several types of threats to the information security of government institutions.
In particular, US authorities fear the transfer of confidential information to China. The department points out that DeepSeek services collect user data, and processing queries on the company's servers potentially allows access to information entered by government employees.
US authorities also cite research by cybersecurity experts who identified vulnerabilities in DeepSeek's iOS mobile application.
According to the DHS assessment, the use of such technologies by government employees and contractors may create risks for the security of American information systems. The document describes potential threats and does not establish that all DeepSeek users have experienced data leaks.
Ban also applies to government procurement
The order provides for the exclusion of DeepSeek products from the lists of software and equipment available for procurement by civilian federal agencies.
Government institutions are instructed to cease purchasing the relevant technologies and remove already installed products. The initial order states that these requirements must be fulfilled immediately after its issuance.
The order itself is dated July 24, 2026. However, public notice of it appeared in the US Federal Register on October 19, and official publication is scheduled for October 20. Thus, this is about the disclosure of a previously made decision.
Enforcement of the restrictions will be monitored by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In exceptional cases, agencies may request authorization to deviate from the requirements by providing appropriate justification.
The restrictions apply to civilian US federal executive branch agencies. They do not mean a complete ban on DeepSeek for American private companies and ordinary users.
US tightens restrictions against Chinese AI technologies
DeepSeek attracted international attention in early 2025 after releasing artificial intelligence models capable of competing with solutions from leading American developers at relatively low training costs.
The spread of Chinese models sparked a debate in the US about data security, technological competition, and dependence of government organizations on foreign software.
Previously, the use of DeepSeek had already been restricted for certain categories of American government employees. The newly disclosed order establishes broader requirements for civilian federal agencies and government procurement.
The decision also affects software developers who use DeepSeek technologies when creating products for American government customers. They will have to take the new restrictions into account when supplying and implementing their solutions.
Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Register, The Wall Street Journal.
