DHS Orders DeepSeek Removed From Civilian Agency Systems

The Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and covered third-party services from their information technology systems and barred them from buying the technology. The restrictions took effect when the order was issued and do not apply to national-security systems or secure compartmented information systems. The order, signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, covers products from DeepSeek and its affiliates, as well as third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations. Agencies must remove covered technology already in their systems and exclude it from future procurement. The directive applies to civilian executive-branch agencies, not private businesses or individual users. DHS dated the order July 24, 2026. A notice about it was filed for public inspection on October 19 and scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on October 20. The restrictions were effective upon issuance, according to the order. The department cited potential security risks, saying that prompts entered by government employees or vendors could expose sensitive information to China. It also warned that...