DeepSeek bans by state: which governments restrict it on their devices

The short answer

As of October 29, 2026, we have confirmed from official sources that 12 states restrict DeepSeek on state government devices, state networks or both: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. This is not a complete list; other states may have acted without publishing a document we could find.

At the federal level, a 2025 defense law restricts DeepSeek at the Defense Department and in intelligence community systems, and an October 2026 Homeland Security order excludes DeepSeek products from federal civilian agencies. The No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act has not been enacted.

None of the U.S. rules we found bars a private person from using DeepSeek on a personal device over a private connection. Some reach personal devices on government networks or used for government work; see below.

States that restrict DeepSeek on government devices

States we have confirmed, alphabetically, with the type of action, its date and what it covers:

• Alabama - Governor's memorandum, March 26, 2025: Governor Kay Ivey's memorandum, listed by the state Office of Information Technology, bars executive-branch agencies from using DeepSeek, Manus and similar technologies on state IT infrastructure. OIT says it added them to its unauthorized software list and blocked access to the sites where applicable.
• Arkansas - Governor-announced block, March 6, 2025: the governor's office said DeepSeek, RedNote and Lemon8 were blocked on executive branch devices, and the state's chief information officer said the state cyber office had initiated network blocks.
• Georgia - Statute-based banned platforms list, last updated March 12, 2025: under a 2023 law (SB 93), the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency lists DeepSeek among platforms barred on state equipment for state employees and K-12 public school students. The Georgia Technology Authority's prohibited software standard, revised January 29, 2026, also lists DeepSeek for executive branch state entities' devices and systems.
• Kansas - Statute (Senate Substitute for HB 2313), approved April 8, 2025: state employees may not use state-issued devices to access DeepSeek or other AI platforms of concern, state agencies must block them on state networks and delete existing accounts, with exceptions for law enforcement and cybersecurity investigations.
• New York - Governor's ban, February 10, 2025: bars downloading DeepSeek on government devices and networks managed by the state Office of Information Technology Services.
• North Carolina - State IT agency policy, February 6, 2025: version 1.1 of the Department of Information Technology's high-risk applications policy bars state agency employees from installing or using DeepSeek on state-issued devices, and bars using the state network to reach it from personal devices connected to that network.
• North Dakota - State IT agency prohibited technologies list, effective March 10, 2025: North Dakota Information Technology lists DeepSeek as prohibited on state-owned devices and state networks, including the statewide STAGEnet network, for state entities.
• Oklahoma - Governor's ban after an agency review, announced March 21, 2025: bans DeepSeek on state-owned devices, including laptops, desktops, phones and tablets, after the governor asked the Office of Management and Enterprise Services on March 3, 2025 to review it.
• South Dakota - Ban under Executive Order 2023-06, March 4, 2025: the governor and the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications banned DeepSeek and RedNote on state devices and for state employees using personal devices while on state time, according to the South Dakota Register.
• Tennessee - Governor's ban, March 6, 2025: DeepSeek and Manus were added to the state's list of prohibited foreign-owned platforms on the state network and state devices.
• Texas - Governor's directive, January 31, 2025: ordered state agencies to remove DeepSeek and five other apps from state-issued devices and added them to the state's prohibited technologies list, which the state says applies to state-owned devices and networks. The governor's release says state employees and contractors may not use listed apps on state-owned devices or personal devices used for work.
• Virginia - Executive Order 46, February 11, 2025: bars employees and contract employees of state agencies from downloading or using DeepSeek on government-issued devices, except for public safety uses certified by the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; bars contractors from using it on state-owned or leased equipment; and bars anyone from downloading or using it through state-owned, operated or maintained wireless networks.

Single-agency restrictions

Some state officials have restricted DeepSeek within their own agency only. We do not count these as statewide actions.

• Florida - Chief Financial Officer's Directive 2025-01, effective February 19, 2025: bars Department of Financial Services employees from using DeepSeek on department-issued devices or on any device with access to the department's network.
• Montana - Attorney General's memorandum, February 27, 2025: bars use of DeepSeek on Montana Department of Justice devices and for any government purpose by department staff.

Federal actions

We list only federal directives that have been officially published. News outlets reported internal restrictions at other federal agencies in early 2025 that we could not find in an official publication.

• Federal civilian agencies - Homeland Security order under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-21447): excludes IT products and services from Hangzhou DeepSeek and its affiliates from federal civilian agency procurement, and requires removal of those products, and of third-party products developed using DeepSeek, from civilian agency IT.
• Defense Department - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Public Law 119-60), approved December 18, 2025: according to the Congressional Research Service, section 1532 prohibits the Defense Department from using or acquiring covered AI, including DeepSeek, with case-by-case waivers, and section 6604 directs the Director of National Intelligence to require removal of DeepSeek from intelligence community systems.
• No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act (H.R. 1121) - pending: introduced February 7, 2025 and referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It would have the Office of Management and Budget require executive agencies to remove DeepSeek from their IT. It would include exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research. As of October 29, 2026, only the introduced version had been published on GovInfo.
• No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act (S. 765) - pending: the Senate companion, introduced February 27, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• State attorneys general - on March 6, 2025, 21 attorneys general led by Montana's urged Congress to pass the No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act. A letter is not a law.

What this means for personal use

The state and federal rules listed here govern government devices, government networks and government contracts. None of them, as written, bars a private person from downloading DeepSeek to a personal phone or computer for personal use over a private connection.

Some rules do reach beyond government-owned hardware. Virginia's order bars anyone from using DeepSeek on state-owned wireless networks. North Carolina's policy and Florida's financial services directive cover personal devices connected to the state or department network. Texas and South Dakota cover employees' personal devices used for work or while on state time. Georgia's list says it does not apply to personal devices or the general public.

For what DeepSeek's own terms and privacy policy say about data storage and training, see our guide to whether DeepSeek is safe.

Which laws may apply

Most of the state actions above are executive orders or agency policies rather than statutes. The laws behind some of them are:

• Kansas: Chapter 84 of the 2025 Session Laws, which names DeepSeek directly.
• Georgia: SB 93 (2023), codified at O.C.G.A. sections 50-29-20 to 50-29-22, which bars platforms on the state's banned list from state equipment.
• Texas: DeepSeek is on the Department of Information Resources' prohibited technologies list, which DIR maintains under the governor's directives. It is not on the separate covered applications list that Government Code Chapter 620 (SB 1893, 2023) governs.
• Federal: the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 (41 U.S.C. 1321-1328) for the civilian agency order, and Public Law 119-60 for the Defense Department and intelligence community.

We are not saying DeepSeek is covered by, or out of compliance with, any of these laws. It may have practices it has not published, and whether a law applies to it is a legal question this guide does not decide.