Trump Administration Bans DeepSeek As Beijing Accesses Data
The Trump administration just banned DeepSeek from federal computers. Here is why Chinese servers pose a direct threat to your private data.
Trending Newsfeed Staff Writer · Oct 20, 2026 · 2 min read
On July 24, the Trump administration directed civilian federal agencies to delete DeepSeek from their computers. This ban blocks a Chinese AI tool that could hand American secrets directly to Beijing.
Although DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin signed the order, it remained undisclosed until Monday. The directive covers software from the Chinese company and any vendor using its technology. DeepSeek servers are located in China, where local law allows the government to seize private data.
Why The Data Risk Is Real
This move protects American workers from a system designed to leak their information. Under Chinese law, government authorities can demand access to data held by private firms. The DHS order states that DeepSeek models present multiple threat vectors. It notes that the PRC legal system permits extensive authority for intelligence functions to access private infrastructure.
Think about what Beijing could do with this access. Personnel records and internal communications could vanish into a foreign database. The order warns that the transfer of this information could produce actionable intelligence on U.S. persons. Open-source research even found critical security flaws in the DeepSeek iOS mobile app.
A Gap In Our Own Defense
While Washington fights foreign software, American industry is racing to build better tools. The U.S. Navy is quadrupling a contract for AI robots to inspect warships. The deal ceiling jumped from $71 million to $300 million to close the shipbuilding gap with China.
Jake Loosararian, CEO of Gecko Robotics, informed Fox News Digital that while the U.S. may fail to out-manufacture China, it can outsmart them. His company uses robots that act like a CAT scan for ships. “It’s essentially a CAT scan,” Loosararian said. These machines find corrosion without tearing the ship apart.
This technology saves the Navy up to $8 million on a single ship. It spots structural issues 50 times faster than old inspection methods. The Navy is using these robots on 18 ships in the Pacific Fleet. They scan hulls and flight decks for metal loss that could sink a vessel.
Power Struggles Hit Global AI
Even American tech giants face hurdles as they try to expand AI capacity. Microsoft pulled back on a $2.7 billion data center project in England due to power shortages. As the Telegraph reported, the Loughton site will lack grid power until the 2030s.
A Microsoft spokesperson told The Daily Caller that the decision relates to a single site. The company said it remains committed to its partnership with Nscale. This delay shows how energy limits threaten AI growth even in friendly nations. U.S. projects now take over eight years to connect to the grid, per reports.