WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has barred Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from civilian U.S. government agencies, citing national security risks.
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday made public an order requiring federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek-related technology from their IT systems and prohibiting them from procuring the company's products and services. The ban extends to third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek's technology.
The order, originally issued July 24, applies to civilian agencies including the Treasury, State and Justice departments, but excludes the Department of Defense.
The move comes amid intensifying geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, with artificial intelligence emerging as a key battleground in the two countries' race for technological dominance.
Since DeepSeek burst onto the scene at the start of 2025, several U.S. government agencies have imposed various restrictions. Congress restricted the use of DeepSeek in intelligence community systems in December 2025. In March of that year, Commerce Department bureaus told staff DeepSeek was banned on government devices, Reuters reported.
The Defense Information Systems Agency moved to block access to DeepSeek models in January 2025, according to Bloomberg.
DeepSeek's AI models "present multiple threat vectors," the DHS order states, citing concerns over potential access to sensitive data by Chinese authorities and potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
The agency warned that using DeepSeek's models could result in sensitive U.S. government data being transferred to China, potentially providing intelligence on American citizens and government programs. The models may also contain malware or other security vulnerabilities, the agency said, citing open-source research that identified multiple critical vulnerabilities in DeepSeek's iOS app.
Executive agencies can request exceptions to the order, including delays in compliance, by submitting a written justification to DHS within 60 days of the order's issuance.
