“We are rolling out identity verification for a few use cases, and you might see a verification prompt when accessing certain capabilities, as part of our routine platform integrity checks, or other safety and compliance measures,” Anthropic said. “We only use your verification data to confirm who you are and not for any other purposes.”
That crowd, it seems, may now have some documents to prepare if it wants to continue using Claude. The reactions so far have been quite negative, pointing out that it’s a deliberate decision and not a regulation or a mandatory order imposed by a government on Anthropic as a service provider.
AI KYC is here.
New claude subscribers asked for gov ID & photo.
Not even a regulatory requirement - Anthropic just doing it because they want to.
But regulatory is coming
Next up will be laws:
Claude now requires government ID verification (via Persona) before subscription.
ChatGPT doesn't.Gemini doesn't.
According to the help center page, which went live on April 14, Anthropic selected Persona Identities as its verification partner—the same KYC infrastructure used across financial services—and requires a physical, undamaged passport, driver's license, or national identity card. Photocopies, mobile IDs, and student credentials don't count. A live selfie may also be required.
The policy isn't universal yet. Verification will trigger when accessing "certain capabilities," during "routine platform integrity checks," or as part of safety and compliance measures. Anthropic hasn't said publicly which features are gated, or what user behavior might prompt a check. The company did not immediately respond to Decrypt's request for additional details.
Tighter identity controls also fit a pattern Anthropic has been building toward. In December, the company announced classifiers to detect users who self-identify as minors. Multiple adult users had their accounts suspended anyway, reporting that entire project histories were wiped while they tried to appeal incorrect flags.
Accounts registered from regions Anthropic doesn't formally serve are also subject to bans—a detail that lands hardest on Chinese users accessing Claude through intermediaries, since a live selfie matched against a physical government document is hard to fake your way through.
