Anthropic says Claude might want to see your ID

Anthropic may ask Claude users to verify their age and identity by uploading government-issued documents, according to a new version of the company’s privacy policy.

The AI ​​giant says the move was to allow users to appeal after their accounts were flagged for possible fraudulent activity rather than ban them outright, but it comes as Anthropic seeks to appease the Trump administration amid an ongoing standoff over who has access to the company’s AI tools.

According to a new section in Latest privacy policy Rolled out earlier in June and set to take effect on July 8, Anthropic says it will ask a user to prove their age or identity “in certain circumstances,” without providing specific examples.

While Anthropic has long required users to be over 18 to use Claude, the company introduced earlier this year Age verification checks To comply with various states and countries that require it. Identity checks were done Also announcedbut it was not reflected in the company’s privacy policy until recently.

When activated, the policy will require these users to upload a scanned image of their government-issued passport or driver’s license. Anthropic says it will also collect a photo or video of the person and a digital version of the person as a template for facial geometry (which some states, like Illinois, consider legally protected biometric data). Anthropic says it will also keep a record of the verification result, such as whether the user has reached a certain age.

When TechCrunch reached out to Anthropic spokesperson Michael Aciman, he shared a link to Share X from Anthropic’s Thariq Shihpar saying the change only applies to “a small subset of users” whose accounts have been flagged but not banned outright. (An Anthropic spokesperson wouldn’t say how many users that represents a subset, but the company is believed to have Tens of millions of users monthly.)

“(Anthropic Identity verification policy“) Updated on June 17 as an update on the appeals process,” Shihpar said in the post. “It has nothing to do with bringing up Fable or Mythos.”

Anthropic He said it is allowed Requiring users to upload a copy of their IDs for a number of reasons, such as requiring users to verify themselves to create and manage a Claude account, enforcing its terms of service, such as preventing and investigating fraud, abuse, and violations of its terms, including illegal or criminal conduct, and investigating and resolving security issues.

This move to maintain close monitoring of who uses Anthropic’s AI tools may be one way for the company to comply with a variety of ongoing legal challenges, regulatory changes, and internal pressures from the Trump administration.

The tech giant remains largely on the hook with the White House, more than a week after Trump officials effectively forced Anthropic to withdraw its latest cybersecurity models. Because of allegations that the prison escape is apparent It can break down models’ guardrails. Other reports indicated Personality clashes between the company and the Trump administration As the biggest culprit for the breakdown of relationships.

This latest clash comes months after the Ministry of Defense classified it as humanitarian “Supply Chain Risk”apparently in retaliation for not allowing the government to use its technology for mass domestic surveillance or operate fully autonomous weapons.

Anthropic said it uses San Francisco-based Persona as its own Identity verification providerAnd that users may “see a verification prompt when accessing certain capabilities, as part of our routine platform integrity checks, or other safety and compliance measures.”

Anthropic said it decides how long Persona will retain its users’ identity documents, but an Anthropic spokesperson did not immediately say when the data was deleted. (For context, Roblox, another Persona client, says users’ photos are deleted “Right now” After it has been processed, which reduces the chance of information being leaked or stolen later.)

Persona can still stand up to US government demands for user information it stores on its servers.

Persona is backed by Founder’s Fund, an investment firm founded by Trump supporter Peter Thiel, who also invests in Anthropic. The identity verification company has faced criticism from users over its links to Thiel. Earlier this year, Discord chose a character for her Age verification checks Then he quickly reneged After backlash from the user To choose the character.