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US orders federal agencies to remove DeepSeek AI from their systems
The US Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and services and to remove them from government IT systems, TechCrunch reported. The order also covers third-party products built with DeepSeek technology, and agencies can request exceptions. China's Foreign Ministry said it opposes politicizing technology and trade issues.
Key points
- DHS ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying and remove DeepSeek products from IT systems.
- The order covers third-party products built with DeepSeek technology, with exceptions available on request.
- China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing opposes politicizing technology and trade issues.
What happened: The US has ordered federal civilian agencies to stop purchasing DeepSeek products and services and to remove them from government IT systems, TechCrunch reported on October 20. The report attributes the order to the Department of Homeland Security, which cited national security concerns tied to DeepSeek's operations in China.
The details: The order applies to both new purchases and existing systems, and it extends to third-party products and services built with DeepSeek's technology. Agencies can request exceptions. According to the order, DHS warned that sensitive information from US government users could potentially be accessible to Chinese authorities under Chinese law. A law passed in December 2025 had already restricted DeepSeek's use in national security systems at intelligence agencies. The number of affected agencies and the removal deadline were not reported, and DeepSeek's response has not been disclosed.
Background: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing opposes "overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing technology and trade issues" and would safeguard the rights of Chinese companies. TechCrunch noted that a September report linked to a CISA advisory accused DeepSeek and five other Chinese AI companies of large-scale model distillation from US AI systems. OpenAI and Anthropic have both said they identified attempts by DeepSeek to collect outputs from their models.
What to watch: Bloomberg reported last week that China is considering export restrictions on 23 AI-related technologies, including chip designs and some advanced AI models. That report has not been confirmed.
Our take
Teams that sell to or work with US government agencies need to check whether any tool in their stack is built on DeepSeek models.