Trump Administration Bans DeepSeek AI From Federal Civilian Agencies

The Trump administration has directed civilian federal agencies to purge DeepSeek technology from their systems and halt any further purchases of the Chinese company's products. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin signed the order on July 24, with details emerging this week. The directive covers software from DeepSeek, its affiliates, and any third-party vendors that incorporate the technology into their offerings.

DeepSeek, headquartered in Hangzhou, maintains its servers inside China. That arrangement triggers immediate concerns under Chinese law, which grants government authorities broad powers to access data held by private firms. The order states plainly that DeepSeek's models create multiple threat vectors because its infrastructure sits in the People's Republic of China, where intelligence and cyber units can compel companies to turn over information. Federal employees feeding prompts into such systems risk exposing personnel records, internal communications, agency planning documents, and other sensitive material that foreign services would value.

The ban applies to agencies including Treasury, State, and Justice but leaves the Department of Defense untouched. Earlier restrictions already limited DeepSeek use in intelligence community systems beginning in December 2025. The new measure gives agencies a narrow process to request exceptions, though DHS retains final authority. Officials described the step as necessary to prevent the collection of personally identifiable information through user-submitted prompts that flow back to servers under Chinese jurisdiction.

Beijing responded through its foreign ministry by rejecting the move as an overreach. A spokesperson told Reuters that China opposes the broad application of national security claims to technology and trade matters and will protect the interests of its companies. The statement frames the U.S. action as politicizing scientific and commercial issues amid ongoing competition between the two nations.

DeepSeek gained attention early last year with rapid releases of its AI models. Several agencies had already begun internal reviews of the software before the July order. The administration's decision aligns with broader efforts to address supply chain and data risks tied to Chinese technology. Previous administrations allowed greater access to such tools despite repeated warnings about data flows to Beijing. The current prohibition closes one avenue that could have funneled government information directly into systems subject to Chinese legal demands.

The order underscores a shift toward treating artificial intelligence infrastructure as a core national security domain. With servers located inside China and subject to its legal framework, any interaction with DeepSeek products carries the potential for compelled disclosure. Federal agencies must now remove existing installations and avoid future integration, a requirement that extends to outside services built on the same technology. This step follows a pattern of incremental restrictions that began in intelligence circles and now reaches civilian departments.