A new level of control: Claude can request documents and biometric data

The company Anthropic announced a major change in the policy of using its AI assistant Claude. Starting on July 8, 2026, the service will be able to require individual users to provide identification documents, photos of the person, and biometric data for identity verification.

The new provisions apply to owners of Free, Pro and Max tariffs. Enterprise customers using the Team, Enterprise and API plans are not subject to the updated requirements.

It’s not just a standard age or phone number check. For the first time, a major developer of artificial generative intelligence has officially confirmed the possibility of using full-fledged biometric identification of users at the mass consumer level.

No longer confidential

A new category – Verification Data (“verification data”) has appeared in the updated Anthropic documentation.

It may include:

• photos of state identity cards;
• passport, driver’s license or national ID card data;
• selfies or videos of the user;
• digital facial geometry templates used for biometric matching.

Special attention was drawn to the mention of so-called facial geometry templates — digital models of the person, which in many countries officially belong to the category of sensitive biometric data and are regulated by separate laws on information protection.

Who will process user documents

Anthropic does not conduct identity verification itself. For this, the company uses the Persona platform, which specializes in KYC (Know Your Customer) and digital identity solutions.

During the verification, the user must download the original state document, after which the system analyzes the data contained in it. The next step is a selfie or video recording, which allows you to make sure that the verification is done by a real person, and not by an attacker with a photo or fake image.

Algorithms then create a mathematical model of the person and compare it with the photo on the document. If the confirmation is confirmed, the service receives a positive check result.

For simplified age verification, Anthropic uses another contractor – Yoti. In this case, the service receives only information about whether the user has passed the verification or not, without transferring images of documents and biometric data.

When the system may require verification

One of the main complaints against the new policy was the lack of transparency of the verification activation criteria.

Anthropic does not disclose a specific list of situations in which a user will be asked to verify their identity. The documentation refers only to “certain circumstances” related to the security of the platform, compliance with regulatory requirements or the use of certain functions of the service.

It is also known that accounts that the system may consider belonging to minors will be required to undergo verification within 30 days.

Experts point out that such vague wording effectively leaves the company with broad powers to launch a review at any time.

Unable to refuse

Another question that Anthropic has not yet directly answered concerns the consequences of opting out of identity verification.

The official documents do not indicate whether the user will be limited in the functionality of the service, temporarily blocked or will completely lose access to the account. The company only reserves the right to take measures for the security of the platform and compliance with internal rules.

At the same time, Anthropic separately emphasizes that even a user who has successfully passed the verification may later face the blocking of the account in case of violations of the policy of using the service, attempts to bypass regional restrictions or confirmation of minor age.

There are still more questions about data storage than answers

Despite the scale of the changes, the company did not disclose a number of key details that directly affect user privacy.

In particular, it is unknown:

• how long will photos of documents and selfies be stored;
• how long are facial biometric templates stored;
• can data be transferred between different jurisdictions;
• how they are covered by US law;

The lack of these clarifications has already sparked discussions among experts on digital rights and personal data protection.

How to prepare for changes

Anthropic does not claim that all Claude users will automatically receive a verification request on July 8th. However, once the new rules come into effect, the company will be able to request proof of identity at any time if it deems it necessary.

Users willing to be verified will need a valid government ID and a device with a selfie or video camera.

For those who do not want to transfer biometric data to third-party services, experts recommend that they study the updated terms of use of Claude in advance and evaluate possible alternatives, since after the launch of the new system, the consequences of refusing verification remain not fully understood.