The order was signed in July, filed Monday — and reaches apps built on DeepSeek too

The DeepSeek exclusion order was dated July 24, 2026, but was only filed for public inspection in the Federal Register on Monday, October 19, 87 days later. It directs federal civilian agencies to stop using DeepSeek technology, remove existing implementations, and stop acquiring DeepSeek, DeepSeek-affiliate, and third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek implementations — wording that reaches well beyond DeepSeek's own apps and API.

The breadth creates practical problems. The order does not define what developed using means, and gateways such as OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway can route requests to DeepSeek by default. Security expert Katie Moussouris argued the third-party clause is unworkable because no AI software bill of materials records which tools a vendor used, and DHS had not clarified whether U.S.-hosted DeepSeek models are covered.