Federal agencies can now use a direct procurement rule and an inventory process to identify DeepSeek AI dependencies, remove them from civilian systems and prevent new purchases. The Department of Homeland Security issued the order after a Federal Acquisition Security Council review, citing risks to government data, user tracking and infrastructure.
The order applies across federal civilian agencies, including third-party services developed with DeepSeek technology. Its publication date and docket details give contractors and procurement teams concrete information for checking contracts, software connections and model integrations.
What did DHS order federal agencies to do?
DHS directed every federal civilian agency to remove products affiliated with DeepSeek from its information technology systems. Agencies are also barred from purchasing DeepSeek products or services after the order.
The scope extends beyond a direct DeepSeek application. It includes third-party services developed using the company’s AI models. A contractor may therefore need to examine an external tool even when DeepSeek does not appear in the tool’s customer-facing name.
The official notice appears in the Federal Register as document 2026-21447, docket DHS-2026-0628. It was published on October 20, 2026, spans five pages and carries the citation 91 FR 66346. Those identifiers provide agencies and contractors with the primary document needed to verify the order’s scope.
Why did DHS act?
DHS based the action on the 2018 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act. The department said the decision followed a review by the Federal Acquisition Security Council.
According to the source coverage, DHS said DeepSeek’s models present multiple threat vectors and could give the Chinese Communist Party extensive authority to access U.S. government infrastructure. The department also raised the possibility that the technology could track or digitally fingerprint users and could transfer sensitive data to the People’s Republic of China when used by a U.S. government agency or vendor.
These are the security concerns stated by DHS. The order is a federal procurement and systems action, not a claim about how every DeepSeek model behaves in every setting. The Federal Register record and agency procurement teams provide the authoritative basis for compliance decisions.
How agencies can identify affected systems
The order gives organizations a practical reason to inventory both direct and indirect use. Teams can begin with software inventories, contractor records, API connections, approved-vendor lists and internal tools that use an external AI service.
They should check whether a service was built with DeepSeek models, even if the agency did not install DeepSeek software itself. Procurement staff also need to flag future purchases and identify contracts that could conflict with the exclusion.
For organizations that need to track search visibility across locations or check technical site conditions, SEOScanPro provides a full website audit and reports the measured result behind each check. That type of audit can support the inventory work by identifying technical issues that require review during a system transition.
What earlier DeepSeek restrictions involved
The federal order follows earlier government actions. The Commerce Department banned DeepSeek from government devices in 2025, and the U.S. Navy directed members not to use the model because of potential security concerns. New York State separately banned the app from government devices and networks over data privacy and censorship concerns.
DeepSeek’s R1 model helped draw government attention in 2025. The source reports that it was trained using less powerful chips and at a fraction of the cost of some competing models. It outperformed models from OpenAI and Anthropic on several complex tests, according to the source article.
DeepSeek later released V4.1 Flash-1017, which the company said offered faster performance and improved reasoning and coding. The source described early reports suggesting the model could compete with advanced American AI systems, but it also said DeepSeek did not rank among the top 10 in a recent government survey about public opinions of AI models.
What should agencies and contractors review first?
The first review point is direct use: official applications, hosted tools, APIs and vendor products connected to federal civilian systems. The second point is indirect use through third-party services that incorporate DeepSeek models.
Procurement teams should then check purchasing controls, existing contracts and internal lists that allow or prohibit specific suppliers. The Federal Register notice should be used as the reference document when determining whether a product falls within the order.
FAQ
Why did DHS order DeepSeek removed from federal agencies?
DHS said DeepSeek’s AI models presented multiple threat vectors, including possible user tracking, digital fingerprinting and transfer of sensitive data to the People’s Republic of China when used by a government agency or vendor. The department also cited concerns about access to U.S. government infrastructure.
When was the DeepSeek federal order published?
The Federal Register lists the notice as published on October 20, 2026. It is document 2026-21447, docket DHS-2026-0628, and appears at 91 FR 66346.
Does the DHS order cover state governments?
The DHS order applies to federal civilian agencies. New York State had separately banned DeepSeek from government devices and networks over data privacy and censorship concerns.