U.S. bans DeepSeek on federal systems; Valley agencies check their tech
DHS told civilian agencies to remove and stop buying DeepSeek AI tools, citing security risks. The order likely touches Fresno’s VA hospital and other federal offices in the region.
U.S. bans DeepSeek on federal systems; Valley agencies check their tech
Key Takeaways
- DHS ordered civilian federal agencies on Oct. 19 to remove and stop procuring DeepSeek AI tools.
- The order traces to late July and covers third-party products built using DeepSeek.
- China criticized the move as political; DeepSeek didn’t immediately comment.
- Fresno’s VA and Interior Department offices in Fresno are among local sites that must comply.
- Federal contractors in the Valley should review whether any of their tools embed DeepSeek.
Federal offices in Fresno got new instructions this week. The Department of Homeland Security made public on Monday, Oct. 19, an order requiring civilian agencies to remove Chinese startup DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence products from their systems and to stop buying them. For Central Valley readers, that means any federal office here using a DeepSeek-driven chatbot or plugin has to pull it down.
The VA Central California Health Care System in Fresno and the Bureau of Reclamation’s South-Central California Area Office, also in Fresno, fall under the civilian umbrella. Contractors who build or maintain software for those agencies will be asked to comply on delivery. The order dates to late July and cites security concerns tied to where DeepSeek runs its servers and who can access them.
What Washington ordered
DHS told civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek and any affiliated products from government information systems, and to avoid new procurements. The notice also calls out third-party services that rely on DeepSeek’s models, not just the company’s own apps. And that includes tools quietly embedded in help desks or document assistants.
The government’s rationale is straightforward: models hosted in China present data exposure risks the U.S. can’t accept on federal machines. The notice described “multiple threat vectors” and pointed to the potential for authorities in China to access company infrastructure.
Who this touches in the Valley
Local federal operations that use chatbots or AI-assisted help desks will have to check their stacks. That includes the Fresno VA’s hospital campus and clinics, Interior’s Reclamation office that manages water projects across the southern half of the Mid-Pacific region, and any USDA service centers that interface with federal IT. If a vendor slipped DeepSeek into a search widget or summarizer, it must come out.
Private employers in Fresno, Merced, and Tulare counties are not covered by the order, but the rule of thumb is simple if you contract with a federal agency or handle federal data, expect buy-side restrictions to flow into your terms. By 9 a.m., a warm can of Diet Coke sat on the copy desk.
What Beijing said
Asked about the U.S. action, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called it political and framed it as overreach on national security. She said China would "resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies."
Central Valley AI is produced by the CVAI Newsdesk team and developed by Kaweah Tech, a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.