{
  "id": 6737395,
  "title": "China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/china-iran-among-countries-that-have-used-ai-to-aid-spying-anthropic-6737395",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-11T09:01:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2029097/china-iran-among-countries-that-have-used-ai-to-aid-spying-anthropic-says"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthropic disclosed that it had dismantled several instances of state-backed surveillance utilizing its artificial intelligence models, warning that governments and state-affiliated entities are increasingly employing AI for espionage purposes. The surveillance operations, which took place between January and July, originated in China, Iran, and West Africa, according to a report by Anthropic. The surveillance campaigns targeted ethnic minorities and dissidents, including pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, Tibetan and Falun Gong communities in Asia, and Iranian minority communities and opposition groups abroad. In one instance, Iranian actors devised a method to identify individuals through their social media accounts, while a contractor working for Malian national security authorities utilized Claude to develop the underlying software for intelligence gathering. Anthropic also thwarted efforts by users to create weapons, conduct questionable biological research, and establish dating scams. The AI lab accused Chinese developers of deceitfully using Claude to generate responses to user queries while simultaneously extracting information to enhance their own models, a practice known as distilling. Chinese developers, such as Moonshot and Deepseek, have previously been accused of using this technique without permission. Moonshot allegedly relayed nearly 300,000 customer requests to Anthropic over a ten-day period via a network of 5,380 fraudulent accounts primarily located in Singapore and Japan, potentially violating privacy agreements. The identities of the actors involved in the research related to biological weapons remain unclear, and Anthropic did not identify them, as doing so could put them at risk. The scientific research focused on the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, a highly pathogenic strain, as well as other pathogens including a strain of bird flu, venoms, and toxins. In response to Anthropic's report, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, stated that China advocates for the ethical development of AI while opposing distortions and attacks against the country.",
  "summary": "Anthropic said on Thursday it shut down multiple cases of state-sponsored surveillance operations that used its artificial intelligence (AI) models, and warned that governments and state-aligned actors are increasingly using AI to spy on ethnic minorities and dissidents. The incidents were found and disrupted between January and July, and they originated in China, Iran and West Africa, Anthropic…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/china-iran-among-countries-that-have-used-ai-to-aid-spying-anthropic-6682898",
        "published": "2026-09-11T01:30:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/china-iran-among-countries-that-have-used-ai-to-aid-spying-anthropic",
        "published": "2026-09-11T01:57:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Anthropic blocks weapons work queries on Claude AI from China, Russia users",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/anthropic-blocks-weapons-work-queries-on-claude-ai-from-china-russia",
        "published": "2026-09-11T03:49:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Anthropic says it caught China using Claude to develop an anti-torpedo weapon",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/anthropic-says-it-caught-china-using-claude-to-develop-an-anti",
        "published": "2026-09-11T04:07:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/china-iran-among-countries-that-have-used-ai-to-aid-spying-anthropic-6713601",
        "published": "2026-09-11T04:52:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tech in Asia",
        "title": "Anthropic says China AI labs used Claude to train models",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/anthropic-says-china-ai-labs-used-claude-to-train-models",
        "published": "2026-09-11T05:05:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "Houthis using AI for missiles? Anthropic says Yemen weapons cell using Claude",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/houthis-using-ai-for-missiles-anthropic-says-yemen-weapons-cell-using",
        "published": "2026-09-11T05:32:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "How Yemeni rebels used Anthropic's AI software to design and build guided weapons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/how-yemeni-rebels-used-anthropics-ai-software-to-design-and-build",
        "published": "2026-09-11T05:34:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Anthropic flags five Claude AI uses linked to biological weapons research",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/anthropic-flags-five-claude-ai-uses-linked-to-biological-weapons",
        "published": "2026-09-11T07:14:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}