US Bans Chinese AI Firm DeepSeek in Civil Agencies Over Security Risks

The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered the immediate removal and ban of all products from Chinese AI firm DeepSeek across federal civil agencies. This directive, formalized by Secretary Markwayne Mullin on July 24 but announced publicly in October, prohibits both the use of existing DeepSeek tools and any future acquisition of its technology or third-party services built upon it Source: Infobae.

The decision stems from national security concerns regarding data sovereignty. DHS officials warned that DeepSeek’s models present "multiple vectors of threat," specifically citing the risk that sensitive government data could be transferred to Beijing under China’s legal framework, which grants authorities broad access to private infrastructure Source: Clarin. The agency also noted potential vulnerabilities, including embedded malware and the possibility of generating intelligence usable against US citizens or agencies Source: La República (CO).

Notably, the order applies exclusively to civilian agencies, such as the Departments of Treasury, State, and Justice. It explicitly excludes the Department of Defense and military branches, which had already implemented independent restrictions following earlier incidents involving the company’s chatbot Source: Infobae. Prior to this federal mandate, several states—including New York, Tennessee, and Virginia—and agencies like the Commerce Department and Navy had already banned DeepSeek on their devices Source: La República (CO).

This move intensifies the technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing. While the US seeks to secure its digital infrastructure, China’s embassy in Washington declined to comment immediately Source: La República (CO). Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on October 29 to prohibit Chinese labs from testing electronic devices in the US, further escalating tensions in the AI sector Source: La República (CO).