US bans Chinese AI DeepSeek from civilian agencies' IT systems

Civilian agencies in the US may no longer buy or use the Chinese AI service DeepSeek. That is according to an order from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026.

The order requires that DeepSeek, its affiliates and covered products be excluded from agency procurement. The products must also be removed from agencies' IT systems.

Who is affected?

The order applies to civilian agencies such as Treasury, State and Justice. Military and intelligence agencies are exempt and are handled separately by the secretary of defense and the director of national intelligence.

The order covers the company Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co. and its affiliates. It also covers third-party products and services built with DeepSeek implementations.

It is a procurement and IT restriction for federal civilian systems. It is not a ban on private individuals using DeepSeek.

Deadlines and exceptions

Agencies must immediately exclude the products and remove them unless they receive a waiver. They have 60 days to apply for one, with a justification and a plan to limit the risk. The US cybersecurity agency CISA reviews the applications and responds in writing.

According to GovInfoSecurity, DeepSeek itself has 60 days to challenge the order in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Agencies are also urged to monitor network traffic and improve logging. It is unclear whether the deadlines run from the date of the order or from its publication.

DHS's concerns

DHS points to several possible threats: sensitive data being transferred to China, intelligence being gathered on American individuals and agencies, and the possibility of malware or vulnerabilities in the models themselves. According to Let's Data Science, the order also cites data stored on servers in China, where Chinese national security law applies, as well as the collection of personal data and digital fingerprints.

BleepingComputer reports that vulnerabilities have been found in DeepSeek's iOS app, including unencrypted transmission, weak encryption, insecure storage and data sharing with ByteDance.

The Navy and NASA have previously blocked DeepSeek separately. Texas banned it on state devices in January 2025, and New York and Virginia followed.

China's reaction

China's foreign ministry responded on October 20, saying it will safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese companies. Spokesperson Mao Ning says China opposes overgeneralizing national security and politicizing science, technology and trade issues.

The order was issued under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. According to Let's Data Science, it is dated July 24, but it was not made public until October.