Anthropic Requires Identity-Based KYC for Some Claude Features to Strengthen Compliance

Anthropic is introducing identity-based KYC checks for some high-risk Claude features as advances in generative AI require platforms to take stricter measures against misuse, enforce usage policies and meet legal obligations. Linking accounts to users’ real identities has also drawn attention to the storage and cross-border processing of biometric data, as well as service availability in regions where supported identity documents are limited.

Anthropic began gradually rolling out verification to selected users in April 2026 and added related data-processing provisions to its privacy policy, effective July 8. Users prompted to verify their identity must submit a government-issued photo ID and may also be asked to take a live selfie. The process usually takes less than 5 minutes. Persona encrypts, processes and stores the data. Anthropic says it does not retain copies of ID images or use verification data to train its models.