DeepSeek quickly became one of the biggest names in AI by offering a powerful, mostly free alternative to ChatGPT. But now the U.S. government wants the Chinese company’s technology off federal civilian agency systems, raising questions about whether everyday users should be concerned, too.
According to a Department of Homeland Security notice published on Tuesday, federal civilian agencies must remove DeepSeek products, including certain third-party services built using its technology. The government is also prohibiting agencies from purchasing those products in the future.
The decision follows concerns about where DeepSeek stores user information and who might be able to access it. As Reuters reported on October 19, DHS warned that the company’s technology could expose sensitive information to China.
Latest Videos FromTom’s Guide
This isn’t a nationwide ban
Americans can still access the chatbot, and the government hasn’t ordered consumers to delete the app. The safety concerns still remain, in fact, some of the information behind the government’s decision is worth understanding before you type another question into DeepSeek.
The government banned the Chinese model because the government believes there are several safety concerns, including the possibility that sensitive information could be transferred to China, where DeepSeek operates its servers.
DHS also warned that the technology could potentially be used to gather intelligence about American individuals or government agencies. It raised the possibility of malware or other security vulnerabilities within the models themselves.
Those are serious allegations, but the public notice does not establish that every DeepSeek user has been compromised. The government is taking a precautionary approach to systems that may handle sensitive federal information.
The restrictions aren’t entirely new, either. As the Associated Press reported, the underlying order dates back to July, although the notice was made public this week.
China has criticized the move. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning accused the U.S. of using national security concerns to politicize technology and trade issues. DeepSeek had not immediately responded to AP’s request for comment.
What does DeepSeek actually know about you?
This is where the news becomes relevant to anyone with DeepSeek installed on their phone. According to DeepSeek’s own privacy policy, updated in February 2026, the company can collect information that users provide when interacting with its services.
That includes prompts, chat history, uploaded files, photos and voice inputs. DeepSeek may also collect account information and technical details associated with devices and network activity.
The policy explicitly states that the company collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. That said, whatever you share with the chatbot may be processed under a different legal and regulatory system from the one you’re accustomed to in the United States.
It’s also important to understand that collecting conversations isn’t unique to DeepSeek. Other AI companies collect user interactions, too, depending on their products and privacy settings.
The difference worth considering is where that information goes, what protections apply and how comfortable you are with a particular company handling it.
Should you delete DeepSeek?
Not necessarily, but the answer depends on what you’re using it for. If you’re asking DeepSeek to explain a recipe, summarize publicly available information or brainstorm vacation ideas, you’re not necessarily sharing anything particularly sensitive.
However, if you’re uploading financial documents, discussing medical information, sharing work files or entering passwords and other confidential details, there’s a much stronger reason to reconsider.
For those situations, I’d avoid putting the information into DeepSeek’s consumer chatbot. The same caution applies to other AI services unless you understand exactly how your data will be handled.
DeepSeek publishes models that developers can run using their own infrastructure. An application running one of those models locally isn’t necessarily sending your conversations to DeepSeek’s servers. Its privacy protections depend on the application and where the model is hosted. In other words, seeing the DeepSeek name attached to an AI model doesn’t automatically tell you where your data is going.
How to protect your privacy if you use DeepSeek
You can review what the model knows about you right now. Start by opening DeepSeek’s settings and reviewing its data controls. The company says users can manage or delete chat history and opt out of having their information used to train or improve its models.
You can also take a few additional precautions:
- Keep sensitive information out of prompts. Avoid sharing passwords, Social Security numbers, financial records or private work documents.
- Review your chat history. Delete conversations you no longer need, while understanding that deletion may not immediately remove every copy retained under the company’s policies.
- Turn off model training where available. DeepSeek’s privacy policy describes an option to opt out of having personal data used for training.
- Review app permissions. Check whether the app has access to your microphone, camera or photos and disable anything you don’t need.
- Be careful with third-party AI apps. Check who operates the service and where it processes information, rather than assuming every product using DeepSeek has the same privacy practices.
Bottom line
The federal government’s decision doesn’t mean DeepSeek is completely dangerous or that it has been used to steal information from ordinary Americans.
What it does is put renewed attention on a privacy issue that has existed since DeepSeek became popular: the company openly acknowledges that it processes and stores user information in China.
For casual questions, DeepSeek remains an option for consumers who are comfortable with those terms. For sensitive documents or personal information, the safer approach is to use a service whose privacy protections you have reviewed and trust — or keep that information out of AI chatbots altogether.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom’s Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.
