Anthropic changes usage policy to ban model abuse and election interference
In Brief Posted: 11:16 AM PDT · October 8, 2026 Image Credits:Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto / Getty Images Russell Brandom Anthropic changes usage policy to ban model abuse and election interference Anthropic updated its usage policy on Thursday, codifying new prohibitions on election interference,…
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In Brief Posted: 11:16 AM PDT · October 8, 2026 Image Credits:Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto / Getty Images Russell Brandom Anthropic changes usage policy to ban model abuse and election interference Anthropic updated its usage policy on Thursday, codifying new prohibitions on election interference, weapons software, and surveillance. But perhaps the most attention-getting change is a new prohibition against prolonged verbal abuse of the model, which is now expressly forbidden. Since an update in August, Claude has been trained to end conversations with “persistently harmful or abusive user interactions” — but the new policy explicitly bars users from pursuing those conversations. “The policy update is meant to apply only in extreme cases, where users repeatedly act cruelly toward our models, with no discernible purpose,” the post explains. “It does not apply to common versions of user frustration, pushback, dark creative themes, or model testing and research.” The change comes after Anthropic has sought out collaborations with prominent religious scholars — in some cases, seeking to convince them that Claude could be conscious or have a soul. Separate sections of the usage policy forbid users from engaging in broadly deceptive campaigns, such as using Claude to run fake accounts or fabricated news outlets. The policy also includes rules against deceiving voters or disrupting elections, collected in a section titled “Do Not Undermine Democratic Processes.” Topics AI, Anthropic, Claude, In Brief, TC October 13 – 15 San Francisco Get 50% off a second passThe Disrupt experience is meant to be shared. Get your pass and bring a colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Cover more ground by making connections, building momentum, and discovering what’s next in the startup ecosystem. BOOK NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news Related Security Medical records giant Epic pauses product development to fix security bugs that risk patients’ data Zack Whittaker Oct 2, 2026 AI Opus 5.5 loves to tell you ‘this matters’ (and other AI writing tells) Russell Brandom Oct 1, 2026 AI Anthropic’s prospectus details losses, growth, and, yes, a warning that its AI could end humanity Connie Loizos Sep 28, 2026 Latest in AI Media & Entertainment Pretend you’re sitting at Elizabeth Holmes’ desk on this weirdly detailed website Amanda Silberling 8 hours ago AI Fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute misconduct claims, warn of chilling effect Rebecca Bellan 9 hours ago AI Ben Affleck is an AI nerd, and the internet is impressed Sarah Perez 11 hours ago