DHS Orders DeepSeek Removal From Federal Civilian Systems

The Department of Homeland Security ordered U.S. federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and any services developed using DeepSeek technology from their systems. The order, issued by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on July 24, 2026, under the 2018 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, also prohibits these agencies from purchasing DeepSeek products or services. The directive targets Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., developer of the R1 and V3 models, and its affiliates. DeepSeek’s privacy policy states that the company collects, processes, and stores user data in China. DHS provided no reasoning for the order in its Federal Register notice.

The mandate extends to federal contractors. Any contractor under FAR clause 52.204-30 must refrain from using covered DeepSeek products in contract work, search SAM.gov at least quarterly for relevant orders, report any covered products discovered within three business days, and include compliance obligations in subcontracts. Agencies can request exceptions through written petitions supported by compelling justification. This follows the 2018 law’s first use in 2025, when the Director of National Intelligence excluded Acronis, a Swiss cybersecurity and data protection company, from intelligence community procurement and ordered its removal from those systems. Prior to this order, U.S. restrictions on DeepSeek had been fragmented: by February 2025, Congress, NASA, the Navy, the Pentagon, and Texas had each independently barred DeepSeek from government devices.