Anthropic Updates Usage Policy to Ban Cruelty Toward Claude and Expand Surveillance Restrictions
Anthropic has updated its usage policy for the first time in over a year, introducing a ban on 'sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior' toward its Claude models. The new rules, effective November 12, 2026, also expand restrictions on weapons development, surveillance, and election interference. While conversation termination remains the primary enforcement mechanism, the move reflects the company's ongoing research into AI welfare and consciousness, a stance that contrasts with more skeptical views from competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI.