The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has directed federal civilian agencies to strip DeepSeek and any third-party products built on its technology from their IT systems, according to a notice dating from late July that was made public this week. The order also bars agencies from procuring DeepSeek products going forward, citing concerns that the Chinese company's servers could expose sensitive U.S. data to Chinese authorities. Beijing responded through Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who said China would defend its companies' rights and accused Washington of politicizing technology issues under the guise of national security.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-20
ProPublica reports that the Department of Homeland Security directed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to acquire a voting machine and test it for security flaws, citing two anonymous former officials. The same report says CISA staff were angered by the order, and that Elon Musk's DOGE initiative had already laid off CISA employees with the technical expertise to carry it out, leaving officials to tell the White House the task was not feasible.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-20
The Department of Homeland Security has issued an order requiring federal civilian agencies to stop procuring and remove DeepSeek products, affiliate offerings, and third-party tools built on DeepSeek technology from government systems. Agencies must request exceptions within 60 days, with CISA reviewing and approving or denying those requests. The order applies only to agencies under DHS authority and does not ban private or consumer use.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-20
The Department of Homeland Security has directed US federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek's AI products from government systems and barred future purchases, including third-party tools built on DeepSeek's models. The order, dated late July but disclosed publicly on October 19, cites the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and concerns about DeepSeek's China-based servers and potential vulnerabilities. China's Foreign Ministry called the move a politicization of trade and technology.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-20
The Department of Homeland Security publicized a directive requiring US federal civilian agencies to strip DeepSeek-related technology from their IT systems and halt future procurement of its products and services, including third-party tools built on the Chinese company's technology. Issued July 24, the order covers agencies like Treasury, State and Justice, but exempts the Pentagon, which already restricts the AI models.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-20
According to two former administration officials, political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security asked CISA to secretly acquire a voting machine, hack it and report findings to the White House without notifying the manufacturer. CISA staff pushed back, calling the request a departure from standard practice, and the plan was ultimately not carried out partly because staff capable of the task had been laid off under Elon Musk's DOGE initiative.
politics.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-19
The Department of Homeland Security has directed federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek technology from their IT systems and barred any future purchases of the Chinese company's products or services. The order also covers products made by DeepSeek affiliates and third-party tools built using DeepSeek's implementations.
wsj.com
· 2026-10-19
Katie Zacharia, who briefly served as White House press secretary before being fired, was named in a June 24 press release as joining the advisory board of NRED Intelligent Mining alongside former DHS secretary Kristi Noem. Zacharia now says the announcement was fake and never consented to it, with an associate claiming the release was issued without her approval even though discussions about her joining had occurred.
wired.com
· 2026-10-16
A federal judge's temporary restraining order barred government-funded Trump ads from airing starting 6:45pm on October 11, citing likely violations of a law against government propaganda. Despite the order, the ads—including spots about immigration, Iran, and Maduro's capture—continued through the night and into October 12. A US attorney later apologized, saying agency counsel didn't see the order until the next morning due to a delayed email forward.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-13
Documents obtained by Democracy Forward via a FOIA request reveal that DHS officials examined using a Palantir-supported tool to investigate alleged illegal voting. The records show ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division, through its Innovation Lab, has been developing systems that combine DOJ voting rolls and USCIS data, with plans to later add criminal history records. The same document cache shows DHS has investigated more than 150 nonprofits over suspicions they helped noncitizens register to vote.
wired.com
· 2026-10-08
The US Department of Homeland Security has published a proposed rule that would make universities pay up to $100,000 to let international graduates participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a program letting foreign students work in the US for up to three years after graduation. DHS estimates the change could cut OPT enrollment by as much as 44% and cost universities $8.4–$16.5 billion annually; roughly 420,000 students used OPT in 2025–26.
nature.com
· 2026-10-08
A partially unsealed court filing from a class-action lawsuit over a January ICE operation in Maine alleges that DHS agents compiled dossiers on people who observed or protested ICE activity, storing photos and license plate numbers in Palantir's Investigative Case Management database. The filing claims agents labeled some individuals 'Threat to Law Enforcement, Professional Protestor' and, in one instance, warned a plaintiff's spouse by phone that such activity could lead to inclusion on a domestic terrorism watchlist. DHS told Wired the lawsuit is 'meritless' and denied any database tracking people as domestic terrorists.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-03
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