US orders DeepSeek removed from federal civilian systems

The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their information-technology systems and stop buying products or services from the Chinese AI developer and its affiliates.¹

The order also covers third-party products and services “developed using DeepSeek implementations”. That wording is significant, because the published notice does not define exactly what counts as a DeepSeek implementation. The order names Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., the company behind the R1 and V3 models, and applies to its affiliates under federal acquisition rules.¹

This is a procurement and systems-removal order, not a general ban on DeepSeek for businesses or the public. The order applies to federal civilian agencies: it does not direct ordinary companies, consumers or state governments to uninstall DeepSeek products. The Department of Homeland Security published the notice in the Federal Register on 20 October, while the signed order is dated 24 July.¹

The legal basis is the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018. Under that framework, the Federal Acquisition Security Council can recommend exclusion and removal orders, while designated officials can issue them for civilian agencies, the Department of Defence and national-security systems, or the intelligence community. An agency can request an exception from the official who issued an order, but the request must be made in writing and include a compelling justification.²

The order also reaches contractors. Federal contracts carrying FAR clause 52.204-30 bar contractors from providing or using a covered product or service while performing the contract unless a waiver has been granted. Contractors must search SAM.gov for FASCSA orders at least every three months, make reasonable supply-chain enquiries, report affected products or services to the contracting officer within three business days of identifying them, and provide further mitigation information within 10 business days.¹

The new order expands earlier restrictions that targeted DeepSeek on government devices. According to The Hacker News, Congress, NASA, the US Navy, the Pentagon and Texas had already adopted restrictions by February 2025, while proposed federal bills had not advanced beyond committee by 21 October 2026.¹

China’s foreign ministry said on 20 October that Beijing opposed what it called an overextension of national-security arguments and would protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. DeepSeek had not immediately responded to an Associated Press request for comment, according to the report.¹

Our opinion

The practical impact will depend on how agencies interpret “developed using DeepSeek implementations”. Removing a named application is relatively straightforward; identifying hidden model dependencies inside supplier software is harder. Contractors will need a documented inventory and a repeatable way to investigate their supply chains rather than treating this as a simple app-uninstallation exercise. The order is therefore narrower than a public ban, but potentially broader for suppliers embedded in federal procurement.¹

For readers outside government, the immediate takeaway is limited: this order does not prohibit personal or commercial use. Its effect is concentrated on civilian federal systems, contracts and vendors that fall within the FASCSA process.¹