Anthropic 2026 Usage Policy update

Anthropic published a revised Usage Policy on October 8 that takes effect November 12. It consolidates restrictions on deceptive campaigns, narrows its election section to voter deception and disruption, and makes existing weapons and surveillance prohibitions more explicit. The update also adds controls for models connected to hardware that can act physically and prohibits sustained, needless cruelty toward its models in extreme cases. Anthropic says ordinary frustration, creative work, and model testing are outside that last prohibition.