U.S. bans DeepSeek from government agency systems amid AI rift with China
U.S. Department of Homeland Security has banned DeepSeek-related technology from federal civilian agency IT systems.
TL;DR
- The Trump administration banned DeepSeek-related technology from federal civilian agency IT systems.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an order in July, made public on Monday, prohibiting federal civilian agencies from procuring DeepSeek products and services.
- Concerns cited include potential transfers of sensitive U.S. government data to China and security vulnerabilities in DeepSeek's AI models.
- The ban applies to federal civilian agencies but excludes the Department of Defense.
- This move occurs amidst intensifying geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China, with AI being a key area of competition.
- Previous restrictions on DeepSeek were imposed by Congress (December 2025) and the U.S. Commerce Department (March 2025).
- The DHS order noted that DeepSeek's AI models present multiple threat vectors, including potential access to sensitive data by Chinese authorities and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- Executive agencies can request exceptions to the order within 60 days of issuance.
- DeepSeek and China's Embassy in the U.K. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.