US Bans DeepSeek Across Federal Civilian Agencies, and the Order's Wide Scope Raises Hidden-Use Questions

The US Department of Homeland Security issued an order on Monday directing federal civilian agencies not to use technology from Chinese AI lab DeepSeek, and to remove any existing implementations. The order covers all DeepSeek and DeepSeek-affiliate products, as well as third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations.

That last phrase is where the difficulty lies. It is not clear which third-party products were built with DeepSeek, or whether "developed using" means ongoing access to DeepSeek models through an API or simply an app written with the help of DeepSeek. AI gateway services such as OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway also make DeepSeek models available, and they route requests to what they judge to be the best provider. Agencies could therefore end up using DeepSeek models without meaning to, unless they have limited which AI providers are allowed. A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move follows earlier action. Lawmakers introduced the No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act in February 2025, describing DeepSeek as a national security threat because its models purportedly capture data on US citizens and pass it to the Chinese government. The bill never left committee. Even so, the Defense Information Systems Agency began blocking DeepSeek on Pentagon networks in January 2025, and the US Navy, NASA, the US House of Representatives and various US states took similar steps.