Anthropic refuses federal surveillance requests, sparking White House tensions

Anthropic has clashed with the Trump administration over its refusal to allow federal law enforcement agencies to use its AI models for surveillance activities, creating tensions as the company conducts a high-profile media tour in Washington. The dispute highlights growing friction between AI safety advocates and the Republican administration, which expects American AI companies to support government operations without restrictions.

What you should know: Anthropic declined requests from federal contractors because its usage policies prohibit surveillance activities, affecting agencies like the FBI, Secret Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• The company’s Claude models are sometimes the only top-tier AI systems cleared for top secret security situations through Amazon Web Services GovCloud, making the restrictions particularly problematic for contractors.
• Two senior administration officials expressed concern that Anthropic is selectively enforcing policies based on politics and using vague terminology that allows broad interpretation of restrictions.

How this differs from competitors: Other AI providers have more specific surveillance restrictions with carveouts for legitimate law enforcement activities.

• OpenAI’s policy prohibits “unauthorized monitoring of individuals,” implying consent for legal monitoring by law enforcement agencies.
• Anthropic’s policy doesn’t specifically define “domestic surveillance” in a law enforcement context, creating ambiguity about permitted uses.

The bigger picture: The conflict represents a broader battle between the AI safety movement and the Trump administration’s preference for faster AI deployment without restrictions.

• Trump’s White House has positioned American AI companies as “patriotic bulwarks of global competition” and expects loyalty in return for support.
• One official characterized Anthropic’s stance as “making a moral judgment about how law enforcement agencies do their jobs.”

Business implications: Anthropic offers specialized services to government clients, including a deal to provide AI services to federal agencies for a $1 fee and specific national security customer offerings.

• The company works with the Department of Defense while maintaining restrictions on weapons development applications.
• Despite strong model performance protecting Anthropic’s position, the political tensions could eventually harm its government business prospects.

Why this matters: The dispute raises fundamental questions about how much control software providers should have over their products once sold to government agencies, particularly as traditional software doesn’t impose usage restrictions after purchase.