Usage Policy update

Summary

Anthropic is updating its Usage Policy to reflect product changes, user feedback, regulatory developments, evolving AI risks, and enforcement priorities, with changes taking effect September 15, 2025. The update adds explicit prohibitions on malicious computer, network, and infrastructure compromise while continuing to permit vulnerability discovery with system-owner consent, and provides supplementary guidance for agentic use. It narrows political restrictions from broad bans on lobbying and campaign content to prohibitions on deceptive or disruptive democratic activity and voter or campaign targeting. Law-enforcement wording is clarified without changing the permitted scope, while high-risk requirements are specified for consumer-facing legal, financial, and employment uses, including human oversight and AI disclosure. Anthropic describes the policy as a living document and says it will continue evaluation with policymakers, experts, and civil society.

Takeaways

1. 1

   Malicious computer, network, and infrastructure compromise activities are prohibited, while vulnerability discovery with the system owner's consent remains supported.

2. 2

   Political restrictions now focus on deceptive or disruptive democratic activity and voter or campaign targeting, allowing legitimate policy research, civic education, and political writing.

3. 3

   High-risk requirements, including human-in-the-loop oversight and AI disclosure, apply to consumer-facing legal, financial, and employment use cases rather than business-to-business interactions.