China opposes US ban on govt agencies from using DeepSeek

The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered civilian agencies to stop using products developed by the Chinese startup DeepSeek, as well as tools created by third parties using DeepSeek technology. According to the New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today, the department issued a notice stating these products must be removed from IT devices. The Department of Homeland Security can issue directions to civilian agencies, but not to intelligence services or the military.

The department warned that DeepSeek models present multiple threat vectors and could result in the transfer of sensitive data to China if used by vendors or government employees. The Times of India reported that the department expressed concerns that the models might contain malware or security vulnerabilities, or could produce actionable intelligence on US persons and agencies.

The New Straits Times noted that DeepSeek's servers are located in China, where the legal system allows the government extensive authority to access private company infrastructure.

Beijing opposed the ban on Tuesday, with spokesperson Mao Ning stating at a news conference that China opposes the politicization of trade and technology and the overstretching of the concept of national security. Punch Nigeria also reported that Beijing called the move an overstretch of national security. The Times of India noted that several US agencies, including the Navy and the Department of Commerce, as well as states such as Virginia, Tennessee, and New York, had previously taken steps to ban the tool.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today, NDTV, Times of India — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.