DHS Orders Civilian Agencies to Remove DeepSeek Products Over Security Concerns

Summary

DHS ordered civilian federal agencies to stop procuring DeepSeek products and remove existing deployments, citing risks including data collection and potential exposure of sensitive information to China. Agencies are encouraged to monitor traffic and strengthen controls

Key points

DHS’s order bars civilian federal agencies from future procurement of DeepSeek products and requires removal of existing versions.
The order names DeepSeek, parent company Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, as the covered supplier; agencies may request exceptions with 60 days’ advance notice and a compelling justification.
The notice cites a June 26 order from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, indicating the ban had been in place for months before the Federal Register notice.
Mullin said DeepSeek models may collect personal information and that sensitive data could be transferred to the Chinese government; these are stated risks, not reported evidence of an actual compromise.
For the removal period, agencies are encouraged to monitor network traffic, enhance logging and data-exfiltration controls, and flag anomalous activity.

Article Details

Event Type: Federal procurement and use ban
Impact: The Department of Homeland Security ordered civilian federal agencies to exclude DeepSeek products from future procurements and remove existing versions. Agencies may request exceptions with 60 days' advance notice and a compelling justification. Secretary Markwayne Mullin cited potential privacy, data collection, and national security risks, and encouraged agencies to monitor traffic, strengthen logging and data-exfiltration controls, and check for anomalous activity during removal.