Homeland Security orders federal civilian agencies to stop using DeepSeek, including third-party products built on it, The Register and Engadget report

The US Department of Homeland Security on Monday 19 October issued an order directing federal civilian agencies to stop using products from the Chinese AI lab DeepSeek and to remove the ones they have, The Register and Engadget report. The order is posted on the Federal Register's public-inspection site, but that page refused us twice, so its terms here are as the outlets report them.

The Register reports that it covers “all DeepSeek and DeepSeek-affiliate products, and third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations.” It says it is unclear whether that reaches access to DeepSeek's models through gateways, or code written with DeepSeek's help. Engadget reports that the order also bars DeepSeek from federal contracts.

Engadget reports that DHS cited the risk of a transfer of sensitive data to the Chinese government and the possibility that the models contain malware or other security weaknesses; The Register reports that the order says only that the products may contain malware or vulnerabilities. PYMNTS reports that the order relies on a 2018 supply-chain security law. A deadline for removal, the official who signed the order, and whether it reaches the Pentagon are not visible from here. A DHS spokesperson did not answer The Register.

DeepSeek released V4.1-Flash with open weights on 17 October, as the Switchboard reported. Because the order reaches products built on DeepSeek, as The Register reports it, the third-party clause is the part that matters to companies selling software to federal agencies.

• Reported DHS issued an order on Monday directing federal civilian agencies to stop using DeepSeek and remove it, The Register reports. The Register
• Reported The order covers third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations, The Register reports. The Register
• Reported Agencies must exclude DeepSeek products and remove existing ones, and DeepSeek is barred from federal contracts, Engadget reports. Engadget