Claude to Require Face Verification: Implications of Anthropic’s New Policy

Anthropic has officially announced a policy change that will take effect on July 8, requiring all personal Claude users to verify their identity by uploading a government‑issued ID (passport or driver’s license) and completing a live facial scan through the third‑party service Persona.

The verification applies to free, Pro, and Max accounts; when a user triggers risk controls or accesses certain features, the system will prompt for the ID upload and selfie. The author notes that this process mirrors bank account opening procedures and is unusually stringent for an AI tool.

According to user reports, even after complying with the facial verification, some accounts have been banned more precisely, as the system now has detailed personal data to match against policy violations.

Data‑security concerns are highlighted: while a lost credit card can be reissued, compromised identity documents can cause permanent damage, and the author questions who will bear the risk of such leaks.

Additionally, Persona does not support mainland Chinese IDs or passports, effectively blocking Chinese users from completing the verification, whereas developers using the API are not subject to this requirement.

Anthropic’s statement describes the rollout as “gradual,” suggesting that not all users will be affected immediately, but the author urges users to prepare for the upcoming restrictions.