US Orders Federal Agencies to Purge DeepSeek AI from Government Systems

According to a directive from the Department of Homeland Security, federal civilian agencies are required to cease the acquisition of DeepSeek products and eliminate the Chinese AI startup's technology from their IT systems. This mandate also encompasses third-party products that incorporate its technology, although some exceptions may be considered. The DHS highlighted concerns regarding data management, indicating that sensitive information belonging to US government users could potentially be accessed by Chinese officials. This order follows a law enacted in December 2025 that limits DeepSeek's role in national security systems and is specifically aimed at civilian agencies. Beijing has criticized the move, claiming it politicizes technology and trade. DeepSeek has been under scrutiny since its R1 reasoning model emerged in January 2025, which affected Nvidia's stock. A report in September accused DeepSeek and others of extensive model distillation from American AI systems.