The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal civilian agencies on October 19, 2026, to remove DeepSeek products and associated third-party AI services from government information technology systems. Officials cited national security risks, potential data transfers to China, and security vulnerabilities across the startup’s models.
Issued under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, the directive instructs civilian administrative agencies to strip DeepSeek technology out of their information-technology systems. The signed document is formally titled the FASCSA Exclusion and Removal Order #2026-01, filed under docket number DHS-2026-0628, following a formal recommendation from the Federal Acquisition Security Council after a review of evidence regarding the Chinese artificial intelligence company.
Federal Agencies Must Remove DeepSeek Technology
The restriction covers external vendor services that rely on DeepSeek technology, though it leaves commercial API access for private enterprises and general consumers untouched within the United States.
Prior to the binding procurement order, several federal entities—including the Department of Commerce and the Navy—had already restricted employee use of the DeepSeek app on official work devices. State governments in New York, Tennessee, and Virginia also implemented similar internal limits.
Washington Exposes Foreign Intelligence Threats
The Department of Homeland Security outlined multiple threat vectors in its federal register notice. Officials warned that prompts, account details, and data submitted by government employees or contractors may result in the transfer of sensitive data to China. Because DeepSeek is headquartered in China and maintains servers within its national territory, local cybersecurity and intelligence laws grant authorities broad access to private corporate infrastructure. Furthermore, agency guidance noted that the models could produce actionable intelligence on U.S. persons and/or government agencies, alongside the risk that the underlying software contains malicious code or security flaws. The department also cited a February 2025 security assessment by NowSecure detailing severe privacy vulnerabilities on the iOS version of the application, alongside a House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party report titled DeepSeek Unmasked
published in April 2025.
Regulators Track Chinese Models Since January
| Date | Development | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | DeepSeek releases R1 reasoning model | DeepSeek faced close scrutiny from Washington policymakers who viewed the company as a potential national security threat |
| February 2025 | International restrictions emerge | Foreign ministries, trade departments, and defense offices in South Korea blocked staff access to the AI service on official workstations |
| April 2025 | Congressional committee report published | The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released DeepSeek Unmasked, detailing close ties to Beijing |
| October 17, 2026 | DeepSeek ships V4.1-Flash-1017 | Updated model reduces memory and storage requirements just days before the federal ban |
| October 19, 2026 | DHS issues FASCSA Exclusion Order #2026-01 | First binding procurement-wide removal order against DeepSeek |
Directives Target Federal IT Infrastructure
What law grants the Department of Homeland Security authority for this directive? The order is grounded in the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act enacted in 2018, which allows cross-agency councils to exclude risky vendors from federal supply chains.
Does the restriction apply to private companies and individual consumers? No. The directive applies strictly to federal civilian administrative agencies, their IT systems, and government procurement channels.
How has Beijing responded to the measure? Reuters reported that the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the DHS directive, following the February 2025 international restrictions.