What happened
DHS ordered federal civilian agencies, excluding military bodies such as the Department of Defense, to stop procuring DeepSeek products and services and to delete technology already deployed, including third-party products with DeepSeek inside.
Why it matters
The order covers both future purchases and installed tools, so agencies may have to rip out systems already in use, and they can seek exemptions only within 60 days of the order with a justification such as being essential to operations.
WHO IT HITSFederal civilian IT and procurement teams — outside the Department of Defense — must audit installed tools for DeepSeek components and file any exemption within 60 days.
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The order rests on the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, a 2018 law aimed at reducing supply-chain security risks in federal procurement of information and communications technology. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin pointed to two grounds: data DeepSeek stores on Chinese servers could be obtained by the Chinese government if requested under its national security law, and the prompt-and-response process that AI models including DeepSeek rely on can transfer confidential data. Combined, he said, these could let the Chinese government obtain practical information about American citizens and government plans. The order goes beyond blocking future purchases, requiring removal of technology already in place and covering third-party products that embed DeepSeek. Agencies retain an exemption path, but it is time-limited: requests must be filed within 60 days of issuance with justifications such as operational necessity or national security considerations.
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