DeepSeek banned from US civilian agencies

The Donald Trump administration has banned Chinese AI model DeepSeek from all civilian government agencies and ordered immediate removal from government systems.

DHS cites multiple security threats

The Department of Homeland Security said DeepSeek presents multiple threat vectors including user tracking, data collection, and potential malware in its iOS mobile application.

“The models themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.”

Data access under Chinese law

China's laws allow the government to easily access and collect data created by private companies, meaning information on US citizens could fall into government hands and produce actionable intelligence.

Earlier restrictions on DeepSeek

The US Congress restricted DeepSeek use in intelligence systems late last year. The Commerce Department told staff not to use it in March. The Defense Information Systems Agency banned it in January twenty twenty-five.

Order originally issued in July

The ban order was originally issued in late July this year and applies to federal civilian agencies including Treasury, State and Justice departments, but excludes the Department of Defense.

Trump's broader China tech restrictions

In his first term, Trump blacklisted hundreds of Chinese companies including Huawei, ZTE, SMIC, DJI, Hikvision and Dahua Technology over concerns about government backdoors and espionage.

Second-term ban on foreign power systems

In August twenty twenty-six, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and banning all foreign bulk-power systems from being imported, installed or used in the country.

FCC to restrict Chinese hardware testing

Later this month, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to prevent all Chinese labs from testing hardware used in the US. Last year, eighty-two percent of all US electronics were tested in China.

China opposes politicization of tech

China's foreign ministry told Reuters it opposes the over-generalization of national security and the politicization of science, technology and trade issues, through spokesperson Mao Ning.

“China consistently opposes the over-generalization of national security as well as the politicization of science, technology and trade issues.”