THE US Department of Homeland Security has issued an order prohibiting federal civilian agencies from procuring or using DeepSeek AI products and related services, including those developed by affiliated entities and third‑party tools built on DeepSeek implementations.
Signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on 24 July 2026 under the Federal Acquisition Security Act and published in the Federal Register on 20 October 2026 (document 2026-21447; DHS‑2026‑0628), the move aims to remove DeepSeek from federal IT environments and halt further purchases. The notice does not specify a precise definition of a “DeepSeek implementation” but directs agencies to query suppliers to determine whether their products fall under the ban.
The overarching rationale centres on national‑security concerns, with DHS asserting that DeepSeek models could transfer sensitive data to China and may contain malware or other vulnerabilities.
The article notes that DeepSeek’s privacy policy indicates data collection and processing in the People’s Republic of China, a factor agencies cite when weighing data residency and potential foreign legal access. The prohibition applies to government contractors only if waivers are unavailable, but private users and general industry are not affected.
Agencies are expected to scrutinise systems and require suppliers to disclose which AI models are used, where data is processed, and whether information leaves the customer environment. The order takes effect upon issue, though existing contracts are only impacted once contracting officers update them; the publication delay of 87 days drew commentary that some organisations had to comply without public explanation of the rationale. China has criticised the move as excessive, while DeepSeek did not comment publicly.