Anthropic Tightens AI Access Controls After Reports of China-Based Workarounds

Anthropic is strengthening measures to prevent unauthorized access to its artificial intelligence services from China after discovering that several Chinese companies had allegedly bypassed its restrictions, according to a Financial Times report published Thursday.

The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, said companies including Ant Financial and ByteDance found alternative ways to use Anthropic's Claude AI models despite the company's restrictions on access from China.

According to the report, Ant Financial reportedly provided employees with corporate Claude accounts linked to its Singapore-based subsidiary, allowing staff to use the AI platform through an overseas entity. ByteDance, meanwhile, allegedly reimbursed engineers for personal Claude subscriptions that were accessed through virtual private networks (VPNs), enabling users to connect to the service from China.

While these methods reportedly do not violate either U.S. or Chinese laws, they are said to breach Anthropic's terms of service. The AI startup prohibits Chinese companies, as well as foreign entities under their control, from accessing or using its Claude AI models.

In response, Anthropic has intensified efforts to identify and block unauthorized users. The company is reportedly monitoring customer accounts for indicators such as mismatched computer time zones and other signs that users may be attempting to circumvent geographic restrictions.

The Financial Times also reported that Anthropic is targeting so-called "transfer station" services, which act as intermediaries by relaying requests through Claude accounts registered outside China. These services have reportedly become one of the methods used to access the AI platform despite regional limitations.

In addition, some organizations are said to have used overseas subsidiaries combined with foreign cloud infrastructure, including Microsoft Azure, to access Claude's AI capabilities.

The reported crackdown highlights the growing challenge facing AI developers as they seek to enforce regional access restrictions while demand for advanced generative AI tools continues to expand globally. Anthropic's latest efforts underscore the company's focus on protecting its platform, complying with its policies, and preventing unauthorized use of its AI technology across restricted markets.