Anthropic has begun rolling out identity verification for users of its Claude chatbot, requiring a government‑issued photo ID and a selfie in limited cases. The verification is handled by third‑party Persona, whose investors include Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. While the company says the step targets fraudulent or abusive activity, many subscribers balk at the added biometric check, citing privacy concerns and the service’s ties to government surveillance firms. Anthropic maintains the data will be encrypted, not stored, and will never train its models. Read more →