New to this? Read it in simple words
- The US government has told its civilian agencies to stop using AI from DeepSeek, a Chinese company.
- Agencies may not buy DeepSeek’s products, and must take out the ones they have.
- The order says data sent to DeepSeek could reach China. It does not say DeepSeek broke a law.
- Military and intelligence systems are not covered by this order.
- Civilian agency
- A government office that is not part of the military or the intelligence services.
- Federal Register
- The US government’s official daily journal, where new rules and orders are published.
- Supply chain
- All the companies and products that something depends on, from parts to software.
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company whose free, open models became popular around the world in 2025. Several US agencies and states have since blocked its app on government devices. On Monday, October 19, the Department of Homeland Security published a rule for all federal civilian agencies.
What the order says
The “Exclusion and Removal Order” was signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Its release date is July 24, 2026. A notice about it went on public view on October 19. It is due to appear in the Federal Register, the government’s official journal, on October 20.
Agencies must stop buying DeepSeek’s products “effective immediately”, including through approved product lists and online government stores. They must also remove the products, unless they asked for an exception within 60 days of the order.
The order covers DeepSeek, its affiliates, and other companies’ products and services that are built using DeepSeek. It will be reviewed within one year, and then every year.
From Homeland Security’s order, released on July 24 and made public on October 19.
Why the government acted
“DeepSeek’s models present multiple threat vectors,” Mullin wrote. The order says DeepSeek’s servers are in China, where the law gives the government wide access to data.
It says DeepSeek’s own service collects personal data, and that prompts sent to it “may result in the transfer of sensitive data” to China. It also warns that the models “may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities”.
These are risk findings. The order does not say that DeepSeek broke a law. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment, Reuters reported, and no reply from DeepSeek had been published.
Who it covers
The order rests on a 2018 law about risks in the government’s supply chain, and follows advice from the Federal Acquisition Security Council. It applies to civilian agencies only. The Defense Department, the intelligence agencies and national security systems are left out.
Before this order, agencies decided for themselves, CyberScoop reports. Reuters says the Commerce Department and the Navy had already banned DeepSeek on government devices, as had the states of New York, Tennessee and Virginia.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1Primary source · October 19, 2026Notice of Order Regarding Exclusion and Removal of DeepSeek Products From Federal Civilian Executive Branch Information Technology Systems and Procurements US Department of Homeland Security (Federal Register)
- 2
- 3
- 4Research · October 19, 2026US banning Chinese AI DeepSeek from government agency IT systems Reuters (via The Straits Times)
- 5Research · October 19, 2026US bans DeepSeek AI from government use as tech tension with China continues BBC News
The rules and reasons come from the order itself. Outlets give different dates for when it was signed, so we use the release date printed on the order.
A government order bans federal civilian agencies from buying DeepSeek’s AI and makes them remove it, though military systems are not covered. How we rate the mood