Anthropic Says AI Models Were Used in State Surveillance Campaigns
AI company says it disrupted operations linked to China, Iran and West Africa and warns of growing government misuse
Anthropic warns about the growing misuse of artificial intelligence for surveillance and intelligence operations
SAN FRANCISCO, September 11, 2026: Artificial intelligence company Anthropic said it disrupted several state-sponsored surveillance operations that allegedly used its AI models to target ethnic minorities, dissidents and political opponents.
The company said it identified and stopped the operations between January and July. The cases originated in China, Iran and West Africa, according to a threat intelligence report released Thursday.
AI Used to Target Dissidents
Anthropic said the surveillance campaigns targeted communities that governments have historically monitored.
The company identified pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, Tibetan and Falun Gong communities across Asia, as well as Iranian minorities and opponents of the Iranian government living abroad.
In one case, Iranian actors allegedly developed a system to identify people through their social media accounts.
In another, Anthropic said a contractor working for Malian national security authorities used its Claude AI model to develop software for intelligence gathering.
“AI is now being used in place of an engineering workforce,” Anthropic said in its report.
Company Blocks Other Abusive Uses
Anthropic also said it disrupted attempts to use its models for weapons development, questionable biological research and dating scams.
The company said these cases demonstrate the growing range of activities in which advanced AI systems can be misused.
However, Anthropic said the intentions behind some biological research cases were unclear.
The company did not identify the researchers involved. It said they were working scientists and that accusing them of harmful intent without evidence could put them or their laboratories at risk.
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Anthropic Accuses Chinese Firms of Data Distillation
Anthropic also accused Chinese AI developers Moonshot and DeepSeek of secretly using Claude to generate responses for their own users.
The company said the firms allegedly used a technique known as distillation. The process uses one AI model to help train or improve another model.
Anthropic alleged that Moonshot sent almost 300,000 customer requests to its systems over a 10-day period.
According to the report, the requests passed through about 5,380 fraudulent accounts, many of which appeared to be based in Singapore and Japan.
Anthropic said some requests contained sensitive user information. It also questioned whether Moonshot had informed its customers that their data was being routed through Anthropic.
The company said DeepSeek used similar techniques.
Biological Research Raises Questions
Anthropic said it also detected and blocked research involving biological agents and toxins.
The research included work involving the chikungunya virus, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, viruses related to smallpox and mpox, as well as venoms and other toxins.
However, Anthropic said it could not determine whether the researchers intended to cause harm.
The company therefore chose not to identify the individuals or laboratories involved.
China Rejects Anthropic’s Claims
China rejected Anthropic’s allegations.
According to Global Times, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China supports the development of AI for beneficial purposes and opposes what she described as distortions and attacks against the country.
The dispute highlights growing concerns over the use of advanced AI in intelligence gathering, surveillance and research.
Anthropic said the cases also show why AI companies need stronger safeguards as governments, intelligence-linked groups and other actors gain access to increasingly capable systems.
