A Department of Homeland Security notice posted for public inspection under Federal Register document number 2026-21447 says the Secretary of Homeland Security has ordered two steps: exclusion of information technology products and services developed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd (DeepSeek), including affiliated entities, from federal civilian agency procurements; and removal of all DeepSeek and DeepSeek-affiliate products, plus third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations, from civilian agency information technology.
The notice is titled as covering Federal Civilian Executive Branch information technology systems and procurements. The document was filed on October 19, 2026, and is scheduled for Federal Register publication on October 20, 2026. The accompanying exclusion and removal order in the appendix lists an Original Release Date of July 24, 2026; this Federal Register filing is the public publication of that order. The notice cites authority under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and lists Docket No. DHS-2026-0628.
What media reports add
The Verge, citing Reuters, reported that DHS ordered civilian agencies to remove technology created by the Chinese AI company over concerns that the models may transfer "sensitive data to the PRC," and that the step also prevents civilian agencies from using third-party services that integrate DeepSeek's AI models.
Reuters, in a Washington dispatch dated October 19, wrote that DHS is ordering the removal of DeepSeek products and third-party services using the Chinese AI model from U.S. civilian agency IT systems, and is also barring acquisition of DeepSeek products and third-party services developed using DeepSeek by U.S. civilian government agencies. According to Reuters, DHS said DeepSeek models pose "multiple threat vectors" and raised concerns that use of the product "may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by U.S. government employees or vendors."
The Wall Street Journal reported that DHS ordered federal civilian agencies to remove AI technology developed by China's DeepSeek from IT systems, and that the order also bars future purchases of the company's products and services, with restrictions extending to products developed by DeepSeek affiliates as well as third-party products and services built using DeepSeek implementations. The full WSJ article sits behind a paywall; only the publicly visible headline and lead were checked for this draft.
Scope: federal civilian agencies, not a nationwide U.S. prohibition
Coverage of the notice has used the word ban for DeepSeek inside federal civilian agencies. The Federal Register notice itself is limited to federal civilian executive branch information technology systems and procurements. The accompanying appendix order says it applies to federal civilian executive branch agencies except for their national security systems and secure compartmented information systems. The notice does not state a prohibition on private companies or the general public across the United States.