US DHS Bans Deepseek AI Across Civilian Agencies as China Vows Countermeasures

The US Department of Homeland Security recently ordered civilian federal agencies to remove all products from Chinese AI company Deepseek from their IT systems and prohibited future purchases, even as the company open-sources its serving infrastructure. The federal directive also bans third-party vendor software built on Deepseek's open-source models due to concerns that Beijing could access sensitive data under China's 2017 National Intelligence Law. China's Foreign Ministry accused the US of stretching national security concepts too far, while its Commerce Ministry demanded the ban be lifted and vowed to take resolute countermeasures. Beijing's objection comes despite China blocking Western AI services like ChatGPT and Gemini across its entire domestic market under Cyberspace Administration review rules in place since 2023. According to The New York Times, Beijing also proposed its own export and licensing controls for AI technologies last week alongside ongoing efforts to replace foreign hardware and software in state bodies with domestic alternatives.