US civilian-agency DeepSeek restriction

Reuters reported on October 19 that the US Department of Homeland Security was ordering civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and third-party services using the Chinese AI model from their IT systems. The report also describes an acquisition prohibition covering DeepSeek products and third-party services developed using DeepSeek.

DHS’s concerns about sensitive-data transfers, intelligence collection and possible model vulnerabilities are attributed security assessments. The reporting does not independently demonstrate that a particular DeepSeek model contains malware. Its stated scope is civilian government agency IT, rather than a blanket prohibition on private consumers or all US deployments.

Reuters separately describes a July memo made public on October 19 about monitoring traffic to and from government websites. That memo’s original date should not be confused with the newly reported removal and acquisition restrictions.