The Trump administration orders civilian federal agencies to remove DeepSeek products and bars buying them, citing data and security risks
The Trump administration barred civilian US government agencies from using products or services from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, whose more affordable open-weight models pose an increasing challenge to Silicon Valley Valley developers.
Context
The order cuts the leading Chinese open model maker out of the US civilian government, including tools built on its models, and deepens the split between US and Chinese AI stacks.
Bloomberg reports this first hand, and Reuters and the Federal Register notice confirm it, so it is not just a rumour. Polymarket posted it earlier as a secondhand reported headline. The order covers civilian agencies only, and BBC reported that Defense Department agencies are excluded.
- Federal Register: Order: Exclusion and Removal of DeepSeek Products from Federal Civilian Executive Branch IT Systems and Procurements
- Bloomberg: US moves to bar China's DeepSeek from federal agencies' systems
- Reuters via Moneycontrol: US orders removal of DeepSeek from civilian government systems over security risks
- BBC: US bans DeepSeek AI from government use as tech tension with China continues
- Polymarket on X: Trump administration reportedly orders DeepSeek removed from federal agency systems
- Advance Intelligence: The Information reports DeepSeek and Huawei are collaborating on AI chip designs
Deep dive
On October 19, Bloomberg posted that the Trump administration barred civilian US government agencies from using products or services from DeepSeek, whose more affordable open weight models pose an increasing challenge to Silicon Valley developers. Polymarket had posted earlier that morning that the administration reportedly ordered DeepSeek removed from federal agency systems.
Reuters reported that the Department of Homeland Security is ordering the removal of DeepSeek products and third party services using the model from civilian agency IT systems, according to a notice published Monday, and is banning agencies from acquiring them. DHS said DeepSeek models pose multiple threat vectors, that use may result in the transfer of sensitive data to China, that it could produce actionable intelligence on US persons or agencies, and that the models themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities. Reuters said a July DHS memo, also made public Monday, told agencies to monitor traffic to and from government websites for DeepSeek risks.
The BBC reported that the ban covers civilian agencies such as Treasury, State and Justice but excludes Defense Department agencies, that it took effect from the end of July, and that it extends to technology built with the aid of DeepSeek's models. The Federal Register lists the DHS order for publication on October 20.
Reuters noted that Commerce, the Navy and several states had already banned DeepSeek on government devices.
What to expect next
Watch how agencies and contractors identify products built on DeepSeek models, since the ban reaches third party services and many tools quietly use open weights. Also watch whether DeepSeek or Beijing responds, whether the Defense Department issues its own order, and whether the rule spreads to other Chinese open models such as Qwen or Kimi. The same day, The Information reported DeepSeek is working with Huawei on chips, a reminder that the split runs through hardware as well as software.