Trump administration bans DeepSeek from all federal agencies

The Trump administration on Monday (local time) banned federal government agencies from using AI models developed by Chinese AI company DeepSeek.

According to Reuters, the Department of Homeland Security published the directive on the Federal Register website that day. The order, grounded in cybersecurity law, requires federal agencies to remove DeepSeek's AI agents from their IT systems. The use of DeepSeek AI models is fully prohibited, as is the adoption of third-party services built on the platform. DeepSeek will also be barred from participating in future contracts with the federal government.

The DHS described DeepSeek as a potential "multiple (security) threat vector," warning that government employees or vendors using the product risk transferring sensitive data to China. The department added that federal use of DeepSeek could generate actionable intelligence on American citizens and government agencies, and said the platform may harbor "malicious code or other security vulnerabilities."

The DHS also directed federal agencies to monitor government website traffic to guard against potential risks posed by DeepSeek. Several federal agencies, including the Commerce Department and the Navy, had already removed DeepSeek from government-issued devices.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been rolling out a series of crackdowns and regulations targeting Chinese technology companies and their products. The Federal Communications Commission banned imports of new Chinese-made drones in December last year and also prohibited imports of Chinese-made home routers — devices that connect computers, mobile phones and smart devices to the internet.

The FCC is set to vote on Oct. 29 on a proposal to exclude all Chinese laboratories from the testing of electronic devices used in the United States, including smartphones, cameras and computers.