The DeepSeek ban is now official for the U.S. federal civilian workforce. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered all federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their IT systems and stop buying them. The order, signed by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on July 24, 2026, became public this week when a notice appeared in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026.
DeepSeek Ban: What the DHS Order Requires
The order, issued under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 (FASCSA) after a recommendation from the Federal Acquisition Security Council, has two parts:
- Procurement exclusion: Agencies may not buy IT products or services developed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. or its affiliates.
- Mandatory removal: Agencies must remove DeepSeek and affiliate products, and third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations, from their systems.
The signed order is Exclusion and Removal Order #2026-01, filed under docket DHS-2026-0628 on Regulations.gov. Until removal is complete, agencies are advised to monitor traffic in and out of their systems and tighten logging. Agencies can also ask DHS for an exception, a waiver or more time to comply.
Why DHS Imposed the DeepSeek Ban
DHS said DeepSeek models present “multiple threat vectors.” The department warned that use by government employees or vendors “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC,” that it could produce “actionable intelligence” on U.S. persons and agencies, and that the models may contain malware or other vulnerabilities.
DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based startup, drew global attention in January 2025 with low-cost, high-performing AI models. Since then, questions about data security and supply-chain risk have followed it.
Who Is Covered by the DeepSeek Ban?
The order applies to federal civilian executive branch agencies. It does not apply to national security systems or secure compartmented information systems, which fall under the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence.
The order reaches beyond DeepSeek’s own apps to third-party tools built using DeepSeek models. Federal software vendors should check their products for DeepSeek dependencies. It is not yet clear how the order treats DeepSeek models hosted on U.S. company servers, because the order does not list specific products.
Earlier DeepSeek Restrictions in the U.S.
The Commerce Department and the Navy had already banned DeepSeek on government devices, and New York, Tennessee and Virginia took similar steps. A July DHS memo, made public this week, had also told agencies to monitor network traffic for DeepSeek-related risks. The new order is broader: it covers every civilian agency and everything they buy.
What Happens Next
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the order. The DHS Secretary is expected to review the order within a year and annually after that. Questions on implementation go to CISA’s FASCSA Order Implementation Team.
As governments tighten AI supply-chain rules, the DeepSeek ban is likely to shape how public-sector buyers evaluate foreign-developed models.
