DeepSeek: Washington Orders Its Removal From Federal Civilian Agencies

The US Department of Homeland Security demands the removal of DeepSeek from the computer systems of federal civil agencies. Beijing denounces a discriminatory decision and threatens to retaliate. At the same time, Washington sanctions five Chinese entities accused of stealing secrets related to artificial intelligence (AI).

DeepSeek excluded from public procurement and federal systems

Distrust towards Chinese models is not new, DeepSeek and Kimi having already been accused of redirecting requests to Claude without their users’ knowledge.

This time, the US administration relies on the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 to exclude DeepSeek from the federal supply chain. Signed by Markwayne Mullin, the order targets civil agencies but excludes systems related to national security and intelligence.

Specifically, administrations must stop purchasing products from DeepSeek and its affiliates. They must also remove already installed solutions, including some third-party products based on their technologies.

To justify this decision, Washington cites several risks: hosting servers in China, storing personal data on Chinese territory, digital tracking possibilities, and critical vulnerabilities in the iOS application.

A publication date that raises questions

One detail deserves attention: the order states an initial effective date of July 24, 2026, while the Federal Register published it on October 20. Yet, the text presents its measures as applicable upon issuance.

This discrepancy raises a practical question. Agencies had 60 days after issuance to request a written exemption. By using the July date, this period would have expired before the official publication.

Meanwhile, the administration recommends monitoring data exchanges, strengthening logs, and detecting unusual activities. It also plans an annual review of the measure.

Beijing protests, Washington increases sanctions

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce quickly denounced a decision that provokes its “strong dissatisfaction” and “firm opposition.” It accuses Washington of ignoring agreements made between the two heads of state and calls for the repeal of the restrictions. 

For its part, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning criticizes the expansion of the national security concept and promises to defend Chinese companies.

Meanwhile, the US State Department sanctioned five Chinese entities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act. Among the targets are Shanghai Zhisuan Technology and the incubator MiraclePlus, accused along with three other entities of participating in the theft of Google trade secrets.

These measures come while Washington and Beijing had engaged in a dialogue on AI. They illustrate the ongoing tensions between the two powers, while the dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon reminds us that technological security remains a major issue on both sides of the Pacific.

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