Trump Administration Bans China's DeepSeek AI Across U.S. Federal Agencies

[Financial News] The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has completely banned the use of products from Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek in federal government agencies’ information technology (IT) systems. As the AI technology gap between the United States and China is narrowing to a matter of months, the United States continues to take tough security measures to counter Chinese technology companies.
According to foreign media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), on the 19th (local time), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a directive in the Federal Register ordering the removal of AI models developed by DeepSeek from the IT systems of federal civilian agencies. Under the order, each agency must remove DeepSeek products from its systems, and all future purchases of related products and services are also banned. The restrictions apply broadly not only to DeepSeek’s own products but also to products from its affiliates and third-party services built using DeepSeek’s technology.
The Department of Homeland Security took this action under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, enacted in 2018. DHS warned that DeepSeek could pose “multiple security threat vectors” and that “if used by U.S. government employees or suppliers, there is a high risk that sensitive data will be transferred to China.” It also pointed to the possibility that key information about U.S. citizens and government agencies could be transferred through malware or security vulnerabilities. Previously, only some departments, including the Commerce Department and the Navy, had selectively blocked the use of DeepSeek on devices. Under the new directive, all federal agencies will monitor website traffic and take proactive measures.
The measure is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to block China’s technology ecosystem. Last December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned imports of new Chinese-made drones and home routers. A proposal to categorically exclude all Chinese laboratories from the testing and certification process for electronic devices used in the United States, including smartphones, cameras and computers, is set to go to a vote on the 29th.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter