DHS orders federal agencies to remove Chinese AI DeepSeek from IT systems

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued an order mandating that federal civilian agencies remove all DeepSeek products and any third-party services utilizing the Chinese AI model from their information technology systems. The directive, published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026, also prohibits new acquisitions of such products and services, citing "multiple threat vectors" including data storage in China and potential transfer of sensitive data to the Chinese government.