By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) – The US Homeland Security Department is ordering the removal of DeepSeek products and third-party services using the Chinese AI model from US civilian agency IT systems, according to a notice published Monday.
The department is also banning acquisition of DeepSeek products and third-party services developed using DeepSeek by US civilian government agencies. DHS said DeepSeek models pose “multiple threat vectors” and raised concerns that use of the product “may result in the transfer of sensitive data to the PRC if used by US government employees or vendors.”
DHS also said use of DeepSeek by government agencies “could produce actionable intelligence on US persons and/or government agencies. The models themselves may contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.”
In a July memo made public Monday, DHS told federal agencies to monitor flows of traffic in and out of government websites to address potential risks from DeepSeek.
Previously, several US agencies, including the Department of Commerce and the Navy, have banned the use of DeepSeek on government devices. Multiple states including New York, Tennessee, and Virginia have taken similar steps.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
The Trump administration has taken a series of steps to crack down on Chinese tech companies.
The Federal Communications Commission will vote on October 29 to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the US. Last year, 82% of US electronics were tested in China.
In December, the FCC banned import of all new models of Chinese drones and also banned imports of new models of Chinese-made consumer routers, the boxes connecting computers, phones and smart devices to the internet.
In July, the FCC voted to bar sales of devices in the US that contain key hardware from Chinese companies deemed to be national security risks and has proposed to prohibit US telecommunications carriers from interconnecting with Chinese telecom firms deemed national security risks.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
