United States of America: Governor of Virginia adopted executive order banning use of Deepseek on state government devices and network (Order No. 46)

On 11 February 2025, the Governor of Virginia adopted an executive order banning the use of the DeepSeek on government-owned or government-leased devices, and on government-owned or government-maintained networks. The order highlighted security and privacy concerns, including the possibility of user data being accessed by the government of the People's Republic of China. The order highlighted studies finding multiple security flaws in DeepSeek, including unencrypted data transmission, vulnerability to jailbreaking attacks, and a failure to block harmful prompts. The order applies to all executive offices, secretariat offices, and executive branch agencies. Employees who had downloaded DeepSeek on their devices were directed to remove, delete, and uninstall the application by 12 February 2025. It also directs Virginia Information Technologies Agency to restrict access to the website and applications in accordance with the order.