The DeepSeek ban is now official for the federal government: the Department of Homeland Security has ordered DeepSeek’s AI products removed from the computer systems of federal civilian agencies and barred agencies from buying them. The notice is published in the Federal Register on Oct. 20, 2026. It does not stop you from using the DeepSeek app on your own phone.
The short version
The order covers government systems, but it reaches further than the DeepSeek app, and it is a good moment to check what you share with any AI chatbot.
- DHS ordered federal civilian agencies to stop buying DeepSeek products and to remove the ones they already use.
- The removal also covers other companies’ products built with DeepSeek’s technology, not just the DeepSeek app.
- The order was made under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and does not apply to personal phones or private companies.
- DeepSeek’s own privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in China, including chat history and uploaded files.
- If you use DeepSeek, you can delete your chat history in its settings, and deleting your account is permanent.
What the DeepSeek ban covers
The Federal Register notice describes two orders from the Secretary of Homeland Security. First, information technology products and services developed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., and its affiliates, are excluded from federal civilian agency purchases. Second, all DeepSeek and DeepSeek-affiliate products, plus third-party products and services “developed using DeepSeek implementations,” must be removed from civilian agency technology.
In plain terms: a federal office cannot keep using a chatbot, coding tool or app from another company if it runs on DeepSeek’s models. That part matters, because DeepSeek releases versions of its models that other companies can build into their own products. The order covers the civilian side of the federal government. It does not mention personal devices, state governments or private businesses.
The order rests on a 2018 law that lets the government shut out technology it considers a supply chain risk. The signed order sits in docket DHS-2026-0628 on regulations.gov, and questions go to a team in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Why the government says it acted
The signed order, printed in the notice’s appendix, gives the reasons itself. It says DeepSeek’s servers are in China and that “the PRC legal system permits extensive authority to government cyber and intelligence functions to access private company infrastructure.” It warns that DeepSeek’s apps “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by U.S. government employees or vendors,” that this data “could produce actionable intelligence on U.S. persons and/or government programs,” and that “the models themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.”
The order is not new inside government. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin first issued it on July 24, 2026, and Oct. 20 is when it was published for the public. It told agencies to remove DeepSeek products “immediately” and gave them 60 days to ask for an exception in writing, such as more time.
Is DeepSeek safe for you to use?
That is your call, and the facts to weigh are in DeepSeek’s own privacy policy, last updated Feb. 10, 2026. It says DeepSeek directly collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. What it collects includes your text and voice prompts, uploaded files and photos, chat history, and device details such as your phone model, IP address and device identifiers.
If you use DeepSeek, or any AI chatbot, three habits help:
- Do not paste anything you would not want stored on a company’s servers: ID numbers, bank details, medical records or work documents you are not allowed to share.
- Clear your chat history in the app’s settings from time to time. DeepSeek’s policy says you can copy or delete it there.
- If you want out, deleting your DeepSeek account is permanent, and the policy lists privacy@deepseek.com for other deletion requests.
What happens next
Agencies now have to find DeepSeek products in their systems, including ones hidden inside other vendors’ tools, and remove them. Companies that sell AI tools to federal civilian agencies will need to show their products do not run on DeepSeek. The window for agencies to ask for an exception closed in late September, 60 days after the order was issued.
For more on how AI companies handle what you type, see our explainers on how ChatGPT ads use your data and what changed for free ChatGPT users.
