The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued directives ordering federal civilian agencies to purge DeepSeek products, apps, and third-party tools from their IT systems. The federal notice, dating back to July but recently made public, also blocks agencies from procuring any future DeepSeek services over national security concerns. U.S. officials cited potential threat vectors, including the risk that Chinese authorities could access private infrastructure and sensitive government data through DeepSeek’s servers. In response, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the ban, accusing Washington of overstretching national security concepts and politicizing trade and technology issues. The ban adds friction to the ongoing AI superpower rivalry as both nations grapple with export controls, model distillation allegations, and upcoming bilateral summit discussions.

Full report : Department of Homeland Security directives cite severe security threat vectors, escalating technology tensions between Washington and China ahead of upcoming leadership talks.