The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an order this Monday (19) that requires the removal of products from the Chinese company DeepSeek from federal civilian agencies' information technology systems. The measure also covers third-party services developed with the company's technology and restricts new government procurements.
The determination was presented in a document made available for public consultation in the Federal Register, with official publication scheduled for October 20. Although it was released this week, the original order was issued on July 24, 2026, according to the text signed by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
DHS justified the decision by citing “multiple threat vectors” associated with DeepSeek's models. According to the department, the use of these tools by government employees or suppliers could result in the transfer of sensitive information to China.
The assessment represents a security concern raised by the US government, not proof that all covered products have actually transferred data.
Restriction also covers third-party services that use DeepSeek
The order is not limited to applications distributed directly by the Chinese company. Products from external suppliers that incorporate DeepSeek implementations are also subject to removal from federal civilian systems.
The document establishes the exclusion of covered products from procurement processes and requires the removal of installed tools, effective immediately upon issuance of the order.
Agencies could also request exceptions upon formal justification, within 60 days from issuance. These requests are subject to DHS review, with participation by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
The scope of the measure is limited to the federal civilian government. It is not a nationwide ban on DeepSeek for consumers or private companies.
In December 2025, US legislation had already required the drafting of guidelines to remove DeepSeek applications from national security systems used by the intelligence community. The determination now released establishes specific restrictions for federal civilian agencies, including technologies incorporated into third-party products.
