DeepSeek restrictions reach U.S. federal civilian systems

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has published an exclusion and removal notice covering DeepSeek products in federal civilian information technology and procurement. The notice appeared in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026, after filing on October 19.

What the notice covers

Its stated scope includes DeepSeek and affiliated products, plus third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations. It addresses federal civilian agency procurement and deployed information technology.

That scope matters: describing this notice as a blanket ban on every American’s personal use would go beyond what the published notice says.

Why local-AI builders should pay attention

Running a model on local hardware and meeting an organization’s procurement rules are different questions. Teams building for government environments should review the applicable order and their approved software inventory, including model provenance and third-party dependencies.

Our model library describes capabilities and licenses; it does not certify government procurement eligibility.

Primary source: DHS notice, Federal Register document 2026-21447. Reviewed October 24, 2026.